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Are throwback pro team jerseys the next trend for cyclists?

Old school kit might be back

Photo by: They are popping up everywhere
October 20, 2021
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Throwback jerseys have shown up several times in the pro peloton this year. When Mathieu van der Poel raced in his first Tour de France, his team stylized their kit to resemble that of his famous grandfather, Raymond Poulidor.

This year’s special edition Tour de France team kits range from vintage to designer

MvdP wore the purple and yellow jersey on the first day, but it took a few more for him to grab the famous maillot jaune. The result left him emotional, remembering the recently deceased Pou-Pou.

Tour de France 2021: Mathieu van der Poel conquers Mûr-de-Bretagne, wears yellow after Stage 2

More recently, at Paris-Roubaix, Team Delko wore a La Vie Claire/Look throwback jersey. This was the famous team of Greg Lemond, Bernard Hinault and Canada’s Steve Bauer that dominated the late eighties.

It wasn’t the first time a Mondrian-styled jersey was in the peloton this year. At the Tour de la Provence, the leader’s jersey was a nod to the French team of 30 years ago.

Last week in Girona, Australian pro Mitch Docker took a bunch of his mates on a retirement ride. The caveat was that everyone had to wear throwback jerseys. Some even went further with old school Brikos and mullets.

You may have noticed yourself that there are more and more people out on the roads wearing old school jerseys. Many manufacturers sell replica jerseys, hats and shorts online, with modern fabric and styles. The one thing you can’t deny about the 90s, just like the regular clothes, was there was a lot of colour. If you’re thinking of switching up your black jersey and shorts for something a bit more out-there, here’s a refresher on some of the kit from 30 years ago.

Castorama

The team of the legendary Laurent Fignon, two-time winner of the Tour, and famous for losing the 1989 tour by just eight seconds, had quite the outfits. Casto was the French equivalent of Home Depot, so the jerseys were styled to resemble the overalls their employees wore. It was either a “love it, or hate it” reaction by most fans.

Z

Fignon’s former teammate and archrival Greg Lemond rode for the Z team from 1990-1992, and had one of the flashiest kit in the group. Z was a children’s clothing company, but adults flocked to buy the catchy blue attire.

Banesto

Miguel Indurain won five Tours de France on Banesto. Banesto was a Spanish bank, and the team is one of the longest running teams in the peloton. Currently, the same team is sponsored by Movistar.

Le Groupement

This was a team that may have been doomed from the start, once they unveiled their jerseys. Although the team folded as a result of financial difficulties midway through 1995, one must wonder if everyone on the team might have been happy to trade their jerseys for something else.

Mapei

Mapei was an Italian-based road bicycle racing team from 1993 to 2002. The sponsor is a global chemical construction company. Their kit was a colourful stylization of the company’s logo, and one of the dominant teams of the 90s, winning several world championships and classics.