We cycling fans asked, and they delivered. After a protracted contract saga with his previous team, Israel-Premier Tech (now NSN cycling) it was announced early this year that Osgoode, Ont.’s Derek Gee-West had a new team–the German powerhouse Lidl-Trek. And that mean a new jersey for the national champion.
Dear Lidl-Trek, please redo Derek Gee-West’s jersey
Here at Canadian Cycling Magazine, some of us grumpy old men thought the kit just didn’t land the way a Canadian national champion’s jersey should. The maple leaf — the defining symbol — felt misplaced and diminished. It looked more like a sponsor workaround than a celebration of the title. The balance was off, with branding overpowering identity, and from a distance it didn’t immediately read as “Canada.” In fact, a guy in Montreal went and designed a bunch of kits himself to show some better options,
The jersey
For a rider representing his country in the biggest races, that visual clarity matters. A national champion’s jersey should be unmistakable at a glance — bold, centred, and impossible to confuse in the bunch.
The other problem was the sleeves. His earlier version from IPT looked good with nice red sleeves–although he never got to wear it due to…well that whole thing.
Derek Gee-West and Michael Woods double-bill podcast episode
During the Canadian Cycling Magazine podcast, DGW did say that a new jersey was on the way. And on Sunday, he revealed it, as he gets ready to start his first race of the year, the UAE Tour.
It’s definitely an improvement. Although the maple leaf is still a smidge too low for my liking, it’s much bigger and the sleeves are nice and red. With the Lidl, Trek and serviecenow logos, it’s perhaps the best the team can do. But the kit will definitely pop in the peloton. The previous one almost looked like more of a best young rider.
Originally, Gee-West was going to start his season at the Volta ao Algarve on Feb. 18. But Giulio Ciccone fell ill so it seems that Gee-West is headed to UAE Tour instead. The race begins Monday.
Check out the jersey reveal below!