The new UCI ProTeam Eolo-Kometa, run jointly by Alberto and Fran Contador and Ivan Basso, debuted their new jersey for the 2021 season, an eye-catching blue and green kit that will stand out in the bunch, crafted by the Murcian clothing maker Gobik.
The team have both Spanish and Italian roots: it grew out of Contador's foundation and will ride his newly-launched Aurum bikes, but will be based in northern Italy and are registered as Italian.
"For me this new equipment is very special because it is the uniform of the ProTeam project, but I honestly believe that we are in front of one of the most beautiful and recognizable jerseys of the peloton," Team Manager Basso said in a press release.
"One of the signs of identity of Gobik is its design. In their creative department they are always thinking about how to innovate, how to surprise, how not to leave people indifferent. And all this is very important, even more so when we talk about a sport like cycling in which the image factor always has a major weight," added Basso.
Gobik are relative newcomers to pro cycling, but have supplied leader's jerseys for the Volta a Catalunya and Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and, last year, outfitted UAE Team Emirates.
Eolo-Kometa are in their third season with Gobik, and Fran Contador, the team's general manager, said, "they have always conceived unique and recognisable outfits.
"I think it's an outfit that perfectly embodies our main sponsors and, beyond the competition, I think it's going to be very popular," he said.
Eolo-Kometa kept seven of the riders from the 2020 Continental squad and picked up Edward Ravasi from UAE Team Emirates, four riders from Androni Giocattoli - Francesco Gavazzi, Manuel Belletti, Luca Pacioni, and Mattia Frapporti. Coming across from Bardiani-CSF is Vincenzo Albanese, and from Vini Zabu-KTM comes Luca Wackermann and Lorenzo Fortunato. Britons Mark Christian and John Archibald join from the Continental ranks, as does Davide Bais and Samuele Rivi.