WorldTour kit guide 2020 – Who's wearing what?
Round-up of the colours that will make up the peloton this year
The 2020 season is only weeks from getting under way, and most of the WorldTour squads have had their team presentations, team camps and new season kit reveals.
The peloton will look quite a bit like the 2019 WorldTour, with AG2R La Mondiale, Astana, Bora-Hansgrohe, CCC Team, Team Ineos, UAE Team Emirates and Movistar sticking with very similar designs.
There are a few head-turning looks, with Bahrain McLaren the loudest of the new kits and Lotto Soudal toning things down with quite a bit more black. Team NTT bring back the dark blue and black previously held by Team Sky, while Israel Start-Up Nation's new look is almost as confusing as their name.
Cofidis have just unveiled their new jerseys, but we're still awaiting those from Mitchelton-Scott and Groupama-FDJ, and will update this article as they unveil their 2020 designs.
AG2R La Mondiale
- Brand: Rosti
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 3
- In a nutshell: No change
The French AG2R La Mondiale team stick with the same kit they've worn for the past two seasons, made by Italian brand Rosti. That means the much-maligned brown shorts, now surely icons of world cycling, are here to stay and ruffle feathers. The team seem happy to settle on that three-panel design, which lends a fresher, more modern feel than previous efforts.
- What we like: Ignoring the haters and sticking with the brown shorts
- What we don't: The brown shorts are, nevertheless, awful.
Astana Pro Team
- Brand: Giordana
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 5
- In a nutshell: Familiar
To mark 15 years in the pro peloton, Astana unveiled their kit which holds to the usual teal and yellow, the colours of Kazakhstan.
Nearly unchanged from 2019, the kit gets a slightly wider yellow accent band on the lower leg and a sponsor-free yellow arm band.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
It's a clean, easy-to-spot combination of colours that will make the team stand out in the peloton.
- What we like: Keeping with the theme, Astana will be easily recognisable
- What we don't: With the exception of Lutsenko, sub-par national champion's kits
Bahrain McLaren
- Brand: Le Col
- Colours: 4
- Sponsors: 7
- In a nutshell: A complete refresh to herald the McLaren era
The Bahrain McLaren team's new dawn comes with a complete refresh in the kit department. Having worn a predominantly red jersey with shades of gold and blue in their first three seasons, it's all change as McLaren enter the sport as co-title sponsor.
The red is retained on the left shoulder and sleeve but the main colour is bright orange. Throw in some electric blue on the trim of the sleeves and also the socks and you have an in-your-face design that will surely split opinion.
Having previously been supplied by Sportful, the kit is made by Le Col, a British brand founded by former rider Yanto Barker. They supplied Team Wiggins this season but are now excited about hitting the WorldTour, and have been working with McLaren on perfecting their top-line range.
- What we like: That lovely blue on the socks and trim
- What we don't: A little overcrowded by sponsors
Bora-Hansgrohe
- Brand: Sportful
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 8
- In a nutshell: Only the slightest of tweaks to the green chevron design
In 2018, Bora-Hansgrohe topped the Cyclingnews readers' 'best kit' poll, and the German team are sticking with that same formula for a third season in a row now. With black shorts and a black collar, the bulk of the jersey is devoted to those seafoam green chevrons, which have proved such a hit.
The slight tweak for 2020 sees a little more white introduced to the middle of the jersey, while the number of chevrons of different shades of the green drops from five to thee. Ötztal, a region in the Austrian Alps, has its logo added to the chest and sleeve.
- What we like: Those wonderful chevrons
- What we don't: Have 'Band of brothers' as a tagline but don't print it on the jersey
CCC team
- Brand: Etxeondo
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 6
- In a nutshell: ORANGE
CCC Team keeps their signature orange and white jersey with a short fade to black at the bottom to transition into the all black and white shorts.
Greg Van Avermaet gets gold arm bands as Olympic champion and a gold helmet while the rest of the squad sport band-free arms and orange helmets.
More orange than Bahrain McClaren, CCC Team will be easy to pick out in a crowd.
- What we like: Simple, clean design
- What we don't: The last in the era of the colour fade it's time to shrink this element to zero.
Cofidis
- Brand: Nalini
- Colours: 4
- Sponsors: 4
- In a nutshell: A return to a little more red, but no huge changes for the French team
You have to look hard to spot the differences in the Cofidis kit between 2019 and 2020, but they're there.
The French squad has made the step back up to WorldTour level after 10 years as a Pro Continental team, and they've made a big signing to mark the occasion in European road race champion Elia Viviani.
And while the Italian will be wearing his white, blue and yellow champion's jersey for at least the first half of the 2020 season, his teammates will sport a return to a more red design versus last year's jersey, with much more red on the shoulders, the 'Cofidis' name in black, rather than red, and shorts that lose the oh-so-2019 red-to-black fade in favour of a bolder red design with black bands.
- What we like: A consistent design that leaves you in no doubt which team this is
- What we don't: The gaudy red-and-yellow colour combo doesn't exactly invite replica-kit buyers. How many non-pro riders have you ever seen sporting their kit? That may well not worry the team too much; it certainly stands out in today's pro peloton
Deceuninck-QuickStep
- Brand: Vermarc
- Colours: 4
- Sponsors: 9
- In a nutshell: Are those braces?
Deceuninck-Quickstep tinkered with their usual blue and white kit made by Vermarc, adding a lot more white to the jersey with a sweeping band of blue at the waist that is purported to be the 'Wolfpack' ears... okaaaaay.
Cluttered with logos, the design gets a splash of yellow for sponsor Lidl and a touch of red thanks to Quickstep and Specialized.
While the number of sponsor logos hasn't gone up, the block of white makes the jersey look far more cluttered than last year's.
- What we like: The colour scheme is still recognisable as QuickStep
- What we don't: The entire redesign is just off
EF Education First
- Brand: Rapha
- Colours: 4
- Sponsors: 4
- In a nutshell: Bright pink number tuns even more psychedelic
The Slipstream set-up raised eyebrows last year when they unveiled a bright pink design with new sponsor EF Education First, with shades of blue in a daring tie-dye effect. The colours remain the same and, even though the tie-dye is no more, the psychedelic effect is retained by a series of wavy blue lines. The kit is made by British company Rapha, who not only supply the gear but also make videos about EF's adventures on the so-called 'alternative calendar'.
- What we like: The pink works wonders with the navy shorts and warmers
- What we don't: The wavy blue lines are a little sickly
Groupama-FDJ
As yet unrevealed
Team Ineos
- Brand: Castelli
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 3
- In a nutshell: Exactly the same as this year
No change whatsoever for the British Team Ineos, who describe the move as "a thank you to our fans".
This kit is only seven months old, part of the rebrand as Sky made way and Ineos stepped in. The primary colour has always been black - with the exception of a season in white in 2018 - but now the secondary colour is crimson rather than sky blue. Italian brand Castelli makes the kit for the fourth year in a row.
- What we like: Sticking with it when even the slightest changes generate publicity
- What we don't: Saying it's 'for the fans'
Israel Start-Up Nation
- Brand: Katusha
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 10
- In a nutshell: A new look for the WorldTour era
Israel- Start Up Nation will be racing in a new kit: #yallaacademy pic.twitter.com/Wa9zkQQg4RDecember 11, 2019
The Israel Cycling Academy become Israel Start-Up Nation in 2020, as they make the step up to the WorldTour. Their ticket to the top tier came in the form of Katusha-Alpecin's WorldTour licence, and a trace of the takeover is left in the form of Katusha supplying the kit.
The same white and light blue colourway is used on the jersey but, whereas it was previously blue with a diagonal flash of white, it's now white with a strip of blue across. The shorts are still black but have been splashed with colour and logos.
- What we like: Struggling
- What we don't: Over-sponsored and those shorts are an abomination
Jumbo-Visma
Jumbo-Visma added a little bit more movement to their bumblebee colour scheme, adding a diagonal black block behind the main sponsor logo on the chest and distinctive black shoulder patches on the back of the jersey.
The only downside is they pack a lot of small logos on the upper chest, somewhat interfering with what could be a clean and appealing design.
The overall effect is good in a group, and with so many team leaders for the Grand Tours with the addition of Tom Dumoulin, we fully expect to see them amass at the front of the peloton.
- What we like: The black background for Jumbo and Visma adds a spark
- What we don't: Too many small sponsor logos on the top of the jersey
Lotto Soudal
- Brand: Vermarc
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 9
- In a nutshell: Less white, more black and red
Lotto Soudal balance out their kit with a black block on the upper chest and arms that creates a more cohesive overall look than in 2019. The sponsor logos are positioned very much the same so the feel is familiar.
In addition to the black upper, the belly of the jersey gets a splash of red, tying the jersey in with the shorts, which are mostly black with Lotto on the side panel and the Belgian flag emblem.
- What we like: The black on the jersey balances out the black shorts
- What we don't like: We don't think it will stand out in the peloton
Mitchelton-Scott
As yet unrevealed
Movistar
- Brand: Alé
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors:
- In a nutshell: New supplier, same colours
Movistar have announced a new kit partnership with Italian brand Alé, after several years with Endura, who said they're pulling out because UCI rules were holding them back.
The full kit was launched at the team presentation on December 19 after a sneak peak and the colours are the same as this year, with a bight sky blue jersey and navy shorts.
The colour is in a fascinating waffle pattern that gives the effect of a slight fade at the bottom. It's not as vibrant as 2019.
- What we like: Those colours are great
- What we don't: The overall look isn't quite as put together as 2019
Team NTT
- Brand: Assos
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 6
- In a nutshell: South African team goes blue for new sponsor
From the team that brought you the ice hockey referee jersey comes a new blue and black design to reflect the corporate colours of new title sponsor NTT. Formerly known as Dimension Data, the team's jersey has been predominantly white but this is a major shift as Dimension Data is fully acquired by the Japanese NTT firm.
The jersey, made by Swiss brand Assos, is royal blue and fades to black, with the NTT logo prominent in white on the torso. The front is pretty clean but the rear is more busy, with the arms at the bottom representing the Qhubeka charity.
- What we like: The blue and white, but does it go with the black?
- What we don't: Qhubeka arms will be hidden behind race numbers
Team Sunweb
- Brand: Craft
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 7
- In a nutshell: Same as this year but with big é's and no fade
Team Sunweb usher in the post-Dumoulin era with a very similar offering to this year. The move to red – from white and black – was a big change for 2019, so Iwan Spekenbrink's team are understandably sticking with the design.
There are, however, a couple of tweaks. Firstly the fade to black at the bottom of the jersey, which seemed to wind people up to a bizarre degree, is gone. Secondly, bike supplier Cervélo have taken the shoulder slots so we have those big é's - the ones from Cervélo test team, Garmin, Dimension Data, and Cervélo-Bigla - once again. On a more minor note, BinckBank have replaced Samsung on the trim of the shorts.
The kit is made by Swedish brand Craft, who took over from Exteondo for 2019, and sees the continuation of the two large vertical stripes that are said to represent the team's 'keep challenging' motto.
- What we like: Thrilled to see Cervélo's big shoulder é's back in the WorldTour
- What we don't: The 'keep challenging' stripes, if only because it reminds us of that terrible motto
Trek-Segafredo
- Brand: Santini
- Colours: 3
- Sponsors: 6
- In a nutshell: In with the navy
White, red, and black have been Trek-Segafredo's colours for many a year, but 2020 will see the introduction of some blue. The kits are still different, but the men's jersey borrows from the existing women's jersey in the form of navy blue. That's the colour of the shorts and jersey sleeves, while the torso is white with a thick red stripe across the chest.
- What we like: Made sustainably using eco-friendly materials
- What we don't: Splunk
UAE Team Emirates
- Brand: Champion Systems
- Colours: 5
- Sponsors: 7
- In a nutshell: Similar to 2019, with Whoosh replacing Emaar
UAE Team Emirates keeps their jersey largely the same for 2020, with the exception of a sponsor swap at the bottom of the jersey where Emaar is replaced by "Whoosh".
The team unveiled their new look on Christmas Eve with a video-only press release, so it's difficult to say what the entire kit will look like.
- What we like: Consistency is key
- What we don't: There doesn't seem to be an element that will stand out from helicopter shots
Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.
