Team Bahrain McLaren has announced that it will be using Le Col kit for the 2020 season, with the clothing company making bespoke kit for each grand tour.
British brand Le Col, founded by ex-pro Yanto Barker, is looking to take its performance range to the next step with a WorldTour partnership.
Le Col says it is looking forward to contributing to the team's processes of integrated design and continuous improvement.
“We were struck from the outset by Le Col’s relentless desire to continuously innovate" says Rod Ellingworth, Team Bahrain McLaren Team Principal.
"The culture fit with McLaren was natural and immediate; we scoured the cycling landscape with the aim of finding a brand that could deliver the best performing kit in the WorldTour."
Fred Wright in new Team Bahrain McLaren colours
According to McLaren, Le Col's current race collection has proven to be the fastest kit in initial aero testing.
Barker, Ellingworth and Technical Director Duncan Bradley are looking at the whole package of a rider, their bike, kit and position to best inform the new kit. It's here where Le Col is inputting its extensive knowledge of performance cycling.
Included in the partnership has been the development of a data mapping exercise to provide technical insights, enabling Le Col to produce race wear that features fabrics and panels constructed specifically to individual stages of Grand Tours. The end result is an entirely bespoke collection of kit for each rider.
"Our purpose has and will always be to make the best performance kit in the world so that riders can go faster and further" says Barker.
"This is the perfect time for us to enter the WorldTour; the conventions of cycling kit design are mature and they’re ripe to be disrupted. We have already been working hard to develop bespoke kit for some of next year’s toughest stages at the biggest races.”
The team's partnership with Le Col is the latest in a series of announcements, including the signing of Mark Cavendish who will be once again re-united with Ellingworth who masterminded his 2011 World Championships.
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