"And the award for crap kit of the year goes to.."

...  now that Footon Servelo's hideous beige/nude kit is fading into a dim memory, this award has to go to Trek Factory Racing.

Come on, guys, what are you thinking?

Black?

They look as though they are wearing surfer-dude wet-suits. Made out of the ribbed time-trial fabric that Sky used last year. (Sky, this year, have gone for the ultimate Dodgy Disco see-through net outfit, but we won't waste time with that now.)

In close-ups, they turn into natty short-sleeved pin-stripe wetsuits.  Even Fabs can't make it look stylish.

And at a quick glance at the team photos, it looks as though they are a disabled team, created to give a chance to one-armed cyclists.  No, I don't like the asymmetric look at all: when watching a cycle race, I think that it's vital to have your team looking the same, and easily spottable, from both sides. And above - ok, they managed to get TREK in biggish letters across the back, but no distinctive blob of colour to help us out in the helicopter shots.  Trek have a shield-shaped red logo - why not plaster than across the back?

Then we turn to the front - oh dear, they've made the classic poor-design mistake.

They've put the team name in medium print across the front. Yes, very nice for signing on, and for lounging around at the start, and for the occasional first-across-the-line sit-up-and-hold-up-your-arms shot (and we hope that Andy will be doing lots of those this year, hint hint) but for the other 6 hours? Have the designers ever actually watched a cycle race? They are hunched over the bars, the chest section is crumpled and invisible, and all we can see are the SHOULDERS which are almost completely bare.

Why on earth are they wasting this HUGE photo opportunity?  Lose two points, design team.

They have managed to notice that the sides, both body and shorts, play a large part in tv coverage, but instead of using one for the rider name, and one for Trek, they've put Trek on both. Thanks, guys, for ignoring the needs of us, your loyal and dedicated fans, who like to know who we are watching, and who are not always able to instantly identify a rider by his bike position. Lose two more points.

To say I'm disappointed is to put it mildly.

I haven't added any photos of this dismal kit, you can go and look at them at the Trek Factory Racing site if you don't already know what they look like - but make yourself a cup of tea before you go there, as it is so java- and graphic-heavy that it takes forever to load, and to change screens. Just like the RadioCrap site: too much emphasis on being clever, and too little thought for those on mobile devices, those with older, slower, compooters, and those who are simply not impressed by complicated manipulating of the background pics, but who want to just read the info, get the facts, and move around the site in a reasonable time.

I'm not keen on the miserable team photos either: they appear to have attempted a fifties black-and-white look, and they are all channelling Jakob in their use of hair products - either that, or they took the photos in a wind-tunnel, which could explain why hardly any of them are smiling. Didier looks as though he is facing a firing squad, Fabian looks as though he's one of the ones holding a gun, Jesse Sargeant looks as though he's on a Van der Graaf generator, Frankie looks plain grim, and even poor Andy looks somewhat sad and resigned.

The Staff photos are much nicer - relaxed, smiling, pity they didn't use that photographer for the riders.

Oh well, it can only get better, perhaps?