If you were sad that new cycling kit season was over, then Alpecin-Deceuninck have a treat for you, namely a wild new denim-themed offering.
The Belgian team started off 2024 wearing last season's kit, which it has taken one win in already - stage two of the Etoile de Bessèges through Axel Laurance - but it will race the UAE Tour next week in a lighter jersey.
While we are unlikely to see Mathieu van der Poel in the denim much, before August anyway, seeing as he is world champion, the rest of the squad will be wearing double denim throughout the year, it seems.
In a press release, the team said it was "proud to unveil its brand-new outfit and new team logo", with the new Alpecin-Deceuninck emblem similarly jean-themed. It's an interesting choice.
"It is a striking design, characterised by a modern denim look," the press release reads. "The jersey is designed by KALAS, the clothing supplier we have been working with for years. The stylish design will be visible in competition for the first time at the UAE Tour, where Kaden Groves is [to be] our leader.
"The denim kit is representing our team’s perspective for 2024: daring to stand out, while keeping our feet on the ground. Working hard together, while having fun together. Because jeans are great for any occasion, no?"
Jeans might be good for almost any social occasion but I'm not sure about their application on the bike, although perhaps it is fashionable; who am I to argue. For a team which has possibly the best looking bike in the bunch - the purple Canyon Aeroad - to combine it with the denim jersey is a bit of a juxtaposition.
The kit bears a glaring resemblance to Soudal Quick-Step's outfit, in bad news for those of us who like to quickly tell apart riders in the bunch apart from a helicopter shot, but the different helmets should be a bit of a giveaway.
Of course, it isn't the first time denim has featured in professional cycling. In the late 1980s, the Italian fashion brand Carrera Jeans sponsored one of the world's top teams, winning the Giro d'Italia through Robert Visentini and Stephen Roche, with the latter also triumphing at the Tour de France in 1986, all while wearing "denim" bib shorts.
Just last season AG2R Citroën wore real denim at Strade Bianche, with manufacturers Rosti producing bib shorts made out of stretch denim. When we reviewed the Rosti Roster cycling jeans in 2023, we found them to be comfortable and useful, if a little weird.
Alpecin-Deceuninck's denim seems a bit more performance driven than this, and their riders will certainly stand out, even if they might look quite a lot like their big rivals Soudal Quick-Step.
