A new lead

24/09/2013

Yesterday I received an interesting phone call from Sven Spoormakers, ex-cyclist and active journalist. He was working on an article and he got intrigued about the blue colour of the Belgian national team jersey just like me. Guess what?

The first Belgian team jersey in the Tour de France

02/02/2013

I am rather sure that some form of Belgian national cycling jersey is used in the thirties because of Tour de France director Henri Desgrange’s decision to allow only ‘national teams’ to participate in the race since 1930.

Amateur design for Belgian professional cycling teams.

31/12/2012

A new professional cycling season, another painful year for design lovers like me when they notice that Belgian professional cycling teams once again display the least inspiring cycling kits of the whole professional peloton.

Roland Liboton and Guerciotti, the perfect match

11/12/2012

Although Sven Nys is about to become the best cyclo-cross rider ever, he will never beat Roland Liboton being the world’s most successful cyclo-cross ‘championship rider’ of all times. This blog however is not about who is the greatest, it is about the fact that Liboton was without a doubt wearing the nicest Belgian champion jersey I have ever seen… for 10 years in a row…

Hincapie Ronde cycling jersey

29/11/2012

Nice design, wrong brand.

Sven Nys makes me appreciate the Belgian Champion jersey more each week

21/11/2012

Whether you’re a fan of the Belgian champion cyclo-cross or not, you cannot be blind for the honour Sven Nys brings to his country, the sport of cyclo-cross and above all to the Belgian flag.

Belgian team leads Gilbert to World Champion title

23/09/2012

I saw -and with me a few million other cycling fanatics- a tremendous race today. The light blue jerseys of the Belgian team were clearly visible throughout the world championship race in Valkenburg. The whole peloton had been watching the ‘smurfs’ all day. Everybody expected Gilbert to strike on the final climb of the Cauberg, nevertheless we were all dazzled by the explosive power he displayed.

Did Alcyon bicycles impose the blue in the Belgian national team jersey?

16/09/2012

The French Alcyon cycling brand has been the major sponsor of some of the world’s best cyclists in the early years of cycling. Amongst them many Belgians. Did Alcyon have an important impact on the blue colour of the Belgian national team jersey?

1927, First World Championship cycling, first national jersey?

13/09/2012

I received some very first hints by Dries Zaeytijd from the ‘Wiemu Roeslare’, who has been very helpful in starting my little research. Most likely the first national jersey was issued in 1927, the year of the first World Championship road cycling, with the participation of national teams.

Odiel Defraeye, Belgian champion of 1911

12/09/2012

I just found an interesting picture of Odiel Defraeye, winner of the Tour de France edition 1912 but above all Belgian Champion in 1911. I am very grateful to Wiemu, the cycling museum from Roeselare that has an amazing collection of pictures, posters and other documents about Odiel.

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