Viviani and Deceuninck-QuickStep unveil special jersey for Giro d’Italia

Elia Viviani and Deceuninck-QuickStep have unveiled a freshly designed Italian national champion's tricolore jersey ahead of the Giro d’Italia, which begins on Saturday.

The jersey switches from a horizontal design to a vertical one, replicating the national flag, alongside all-white sleeves in an attempt to make the jersey more visible to the tifosi on the roadside at the country’s Grand Tour.

Viviani won four stages at last season’s Giro d’Italia, along with the points jersey, before winning his first national championship road race title a month later in Darfo Boario Terme. Viviani has won eight times as the Italian champion.

In a press release from the team, Viviani said: "The Tricolore jersey is the main reason I want to be at the Giro because I want to respect Italian cycling and repeat my success from last year.

"The Giro d’Italia is my last big race in the jersey, and as the national championships this year do not suit me, we wanted to do something special with the jersey to mark what has been a very special 12 months for me. This is the result, and I want to thank our sponsors and the Federation for making it possible."

The jersey is produced by Belgian brand Vermarc in Italy and the mid-season design change would’ve been submitted to the Italian governing body for approval ahead of the unveiling.

"I have had some very special wins in the jersey, but the one that stands out to me is the one in Madrid at the end of the Vuelta," Viviani continued. "I can remember the feeling from the way that we rode as a team and the way I won, capping off an unbelievable season.

"I will be very proud to wear this jersey, which the amazing and hard-working people at Vermarc have made so I can celebrate my year in it in a very special way. The design of this high-quality jersey is the Italian flag in a horizontal pattern, like on the flag, and we have tried to be creative with the white sleeves in order to make the stripes stand out. This will make it even easier for the fans to spot me."

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