Ahead of today's time trial at Tirreno Adriatico, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux have formally announced a new kit sponsor.
However, while the team will continue to use Santic clothing for their road stages, they will turn to Devon, UK-based brand NoPinz for its time trials.
NoPinz was formed in 2014, and has made huge strides in the short time since. It earned its name with the patented SpeedPocket, which is designed to hold a racer's number instead of using safety pins. The concept, which simultaneously simplifies a rider's pre-race routine and improves aerodynamic efficiency, has been mimicked by most clothing manufacturers in the years since.
The move makes the Belgian team the first to have a separate kit sponsor for time trials, giving a clue as to the meticulous approach taken by the team in its first season at WorldTour level.
"In order to make progress in the time trial discipline, a lot of details have to be taken into account," explains team performance manager Aike Visbeek. "Thanks to a body scan, the time trial suits are custom fit. The excellent results in the wind tunnel show that our riders can rely on very competitive aerodynamic clothing."
The entire team has been supplied with the brand's aero gloves and overshoes, as well as NoPinz custom-fit Pro-1 skinsuits, which were designed in conjunction with Aerocoach - aerodynamics experts and sponsors to Qhubeka Assos. All of which feature aero details such as purposely-placed trip seams, as well as NoPinz's Speedscalez wind-cheating fabric.
If the brand's claims are to be believed, the team will be using the fastest skinsuit in the peloton.
Despite today being the official announcement, some members of the team have already put the new kit to use in competition. Despite only riding to 80th place at the UAE Tour Stage 2 time trial, Louis Meintjes was impressed by the new skinsuit. "The body scan was successful because the fit is really good," he observed. "The used material is stretchy, which makes it not only a good fit, but also very comfortable, and the bib number pocket is practical as well as aerodynamic."
While retaining focus on the core product, in response to the rise in popularity of indoor cycling over the past 12 months, the brand has expanded its product range to create some of the best indoor cycling clothing, which we were recently impressed by in our NoPinz SubZero review.
