Giant-Alpecin reveal new white kit for the Tour de France

Giant-Alpecin will race this summer's Tour de France in a special white kit, set to symbolise a "fresh start" to a season which has been decimated by injuries.

The team have three wins to their name so far this season, excluding Tom Dumoulin's national time trial title - a figure that would have probably been higher had six of their riders not suffered serious injuries in a collision with a car in January.

Three of the riders involved in that accident will start the Tour de France - John Degenkolb, Warren Barguil and Ramon Sinkeldam - with team CEO Iwan Spekenbrink calling it the "most challenging period in the team's history".

“We are proud to present our special-edition white "July kit", which symbolizes a fresh start to the season after leaving behind the most challenging period in the team’s history.

“As everybody knows, we experienced a dramatic preseason, with the training accident in Calpe, Spain, injuring a significant part of our team.

"But we kept calm, stuck to our way of working and continued to focus on our long-term vision. Now, six months later, we are here at the Tour de France at full strength, and it feels like a new beginning again, as all the riders involved have recently returned to competition.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNb6Bv6y7VA&feature=youtu.be

The new kit will stand out from the wash of black that has swept the peloton in recent seasons, with the white jersey retaining the two stripes down the front.

Warren Barguil will be in a battle to secure a different white jersey at the Tour - that of the best young rider. Tom Dumoulin will target the individual time trial on stage 13, with the Olympic time trial his main priority of the summer.

John Degenkolb, meanwhile, is still on the comeback trail from serious injuries suffered in the Calpe crash and will look to be in the mix in the race's bunch sprints.