Scicon supplies custom Aerowing cycling sunglasses to sponsored teams
(Image credit: Scicon)
After his win on the crash-marred first stage of this year's Tour de France, Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) earned himself more than just a stage win, he had also picked up the first yellow jersey of the 2020 race. However, for his time on the podium, Kristoff wasn't just sporting a new jersey, he was also spotted wearing a new pair of custom Scicon cycling sunglasses.
According to Scicon, the sunglasses are worth approximately €5,000 courtesy of 36 Brilliant Cut diamonds, 18 of which can be found on each of the frame's arms in the shape of a number 1. The gold plating can be found forming the Scicon logo which surrounds the diamonds at the temple position, the sunglasses use the bronze coloured lens, and the remainder of the frame is white, with black rubber ear grips.
Unfortunately for Kristoff, it doesn't look as though he's been given the chance to keep the glasses, as Scicon has since confirmed that the custom glasses are also likely to be spotted on the faces of its other sponsored teams, including NTT Pro Cycling and Israel Start-Up Nation, if and when they get podium time of their own. Given the COVID-19 restrictions of the race, if they are being shared, let's hope they're being properly cleaned between use.
No weight has been quoted for the glasses, but given the cost - and seemingly shared nature of the prize - it seems as though the eyewear is a podium-only option. Kristoff has since been spotted wearing both yellow and green replicas of Scicon's new Aeroshade sunglasses to match his subsequent days in both the maillots jaune and vert.
This isn't the first example of podium-specific eyewear. The most famous example is Peter Sagan, who has spent much of his podium time sporting skiing goggles from his eyewear sponsor, 100%.
Much of Peter Sagan's podium time at the 2019 Tour de France was spent wearing skiing goggles, to showcase his sponsor, 100% (Image credit: Getty Images)
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Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
