{"id":2024399,"date":"2026-07-02T08:57:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T05:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2024399"},"modified":"2026-07-02T08:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T05:57:15","slug":"the-trend-for-tour-de-france-swap-out-kits-has-gotten-out-of-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2024399","title":{"rendered":"The Trend for Tour de France Swap-Out Kits Has Gotten Out of Hand"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Updated July 2, 2026 04:47AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Remember the days when grand tour switch-out kits were a quirky rarity? EF at the Giro d\u2019Italia, Visma at the Tour de France?<\/p>\n

Those were the good old days.<\/p>\n

The days when an apparel swap was a rare necessity, one reserved to prevent color clashes with a grand tour classification jersey.<\/p>\n

Well, at this year\u2019s Tour de France, a new trend for token swap-outs has gotten out of hand.<\/p>\n

Teams are going all-in on \u201cspecial\u201d Tour de France jerseys that are different-but-basically-the-same. In some cases, the rationale for the switch stretches little further than marketing kicks and a sales uplift.<\/p>\n

Visma-Lease a Bike, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Movistar, Jayco AlUla, Pinarello-Q36.5, and Caja Rural-Seguros RGA will all be wearing alternative jerseys at the 2026 Tour de France.<\/p>\n

OK, so Visma-Lease a Bike gets the pass.<\/p>\n

Jonas Vingegaard\u2019s team is obligated to drop its typical tone to prevent confusion with the maillot jaune<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Red Bull is wearing something different \u201ccoz it\u2019s the team\u2019s 13th Tour de France.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Pinarello-Q36.5 has rolled out a new wardrobe to get in the good books with its bike and apparel title sponsors.<\/p>\n

And Jayco-AlUla? They added a few token flashes of green for nothing but the hell of it.<\/p>\n

Sure, I\u2019m old, grumpy, and forgetful, but I\u2019d only just gotten used to seeing Remco wearing a Red Bull kit after he transferred from Quick-Step this winter. And I still can\u2019t identify Cian Uijtdebroeks in Movistar\u2019s typical bright white.<\/p>\n

And now they\u2019ve gone and changed all over again, dammit.<\/p>\n

All the 2026 Tour de France swap-out kits<\/h2>\n

Complaints aside, here are all the switch-out kits for the 2026 Tour de France, and why the heck they\u2019ve been swapped.<\/p>\n

Oh, and the Jayco-AlUla jersey made by MAAP and the Red Bull jersey by Specialized will set you back $205 USD and $260 USD respectively, by the way.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll say no more.<\/p>\n

Visma-Lease a Bike<\/h3>\n
\"Visma-Lease
Visma-Lease a Bike and Movistar both used Gaudi and Barcelona as a motif for their swap-out kits. And of course, Visma\u2019s \u2018killer bees\u2019 managed to make Gaudi go honeycomb. \u00a0<\/span> (Photo: Visma-Lease a Bike.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visma-Lease a Bike switches kits for every Tour de France \u2013 it\u2019s part of the UCI regulations that team jerseys don\u2019t clash with those awarded to the leader of a grand tour classification.<\/p>\n

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This year, \u201cThe Bees\u201d asked fans to choose between a light or a dark variant of switch-out kit.<\/p>\n

This darker version won out after what the team said was an \u201cexciting fan vote\u201d with more than 100,000 participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth jerseys [i.e., the dark and light versions] are rooted in the creative concept The Architect, inspired by the work of Antoni Gaud\u00ed and the visual identity of Barcelona. The honeycomb structure symbolizes the team\u2019s collective strength, now expressed across two distinct editions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe<\/h3>\n
\"Evenepoel
If you look hard enough, you\u2019ll see the inverted 13 across the front of Red Bull\u2019s swap-out jersey. Lucky or unlucky 13 for Remco and Lipo? <\/span> (Photo: Maximilian Fries \/ Red Bull Content Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe made a switch-out kit so similar to the original version that it could have just been due to a printer error.<\/p>\n

The theme is \u201c13,\u201d referencing the number of years since the team \u2013 then known as NetApp Endura \u2013 debuted at the Tour de France.<\/p>\n

According to a press release, \u201cthe oversized, inverted number 13 runs across the entire jersey as its central graphic.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you look hard enough, you\u2019ll see it.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn cycling, the number 13 carries its own unique mythology: many riders flip race number 13 upside down to ward off bad luck. Because even in a sport where data drives every decision, there is still room for superstition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number 13 has been part of many memorable moments. Remco Evenepoel claimed his first professional victory wearing race number 13 \u2013 as did Florian Lipowitz.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number has also brought the team good fortune at the Tour de France. During the team\u2019s Tour debut in 2014, it was stage 13 that first put the German squad in the spotlight of the cycling world. In 2018, the team celebrated victory on stage 13. One year later, the team\u2019s upside-down race number 13 once again proved to be a lucky charm: Peter Sagan claimed his record-breaking green jersey while the team came closer than ever before to the overall podium in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jayco-AlUla<\/h3>\n
Jayco-AlUla put some green bits on its jersey for the hell of it.<\/span> (Photo: MAAP \/ Jayco-AlUla)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jayco-AlUla gets the prize for the most gratuitously pointless swap-out kit. \u00a0It\u2019s basically the same but with some green bits.<\/p>\n

But hey, at least the team and its clothing partner, MAAP, are honest.<\/p>\n

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They changed up the look just \u2018coz they can.<\/p>\n

\u201cCreated from a shared passion to disrupt the predictability of the world of professional cycling, the swap-out kit rejects the traditional excuses for a design reset. No leader\u2019s jersey clash to avoid, no UCI mandate, just a desire to drop something unexpected on cycling\u2019s biggest stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pinarello-Q36.5<\/h3>\n
Pidcock and Pinarello-Q36.5 have gone \u2018summer\u2019 for their first Tour de France.<\/span> (Photo: Pinarello-Q36.5)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pinarello-Q36.5 has never raced the Tour de France before, and it\u2019s already decided to race in a new pale kit with \u201ca fresh summer look.\u201d And because that\u2019s not enough, the team will be riding a different colorway bike, too.<\/p>\n

Given that the squad is sponsored by a bike manufacturer and a clothing brand, we guess some stunt was inevitable for its high-profile debut.<\/p>\n

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\u201cDriven by the desire to highlight the inherent technology and design of its performance partners and title sponsors, the project combines cutting-edge technology with a refined visual identity built around Luxter Venice, Tarmac Grey and Champion Gold, creating one of the most distinctive and hi-tech looks in this year\u2019s peloton.\u201d<\/p>\n

Movistar<\/h3>\n
Movistar is referencing the centenary of Antoni Gaud\u00ed\u2019s passing and the Barcelona grand d\u00e9part.<\/span> (Photo: Movistar Team)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like Visma-Lease a Bike, Movistar has an excuse for switching its kit for the Tour de France. The team\u2019s recent pivot toward white for its standard all-year colorway clashes with the maillot blanc<\/em> of the Tour\u2019s best young rider.<\/p>\n

And it seems like Visma and Movistar copied each other\u2019s homework as they scrambled for inspiration for a mandatory swap-out.<\/p>\n

Those blocky geometric bits on Movistar\u2019s Tour de France jersey reference the Barcelona grand d\u00e9part<\/em> and the city\u2019s legendary architect, Antoni Gaud\u00ed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our jersey for the 2026 Tour de France: a tribute to Barcelona, Gaud\u00ed, and the Sagrada Fam\u00edlia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA<\/h3>\n
Caja Rural is rolling back the years for its return to the Tour de France. Don\u2019t worry, the 69-year-old in the middle \u2013 Marino Lejarreta \u2013 isn\u2019t racing.<\/span> (Photo: Caja Rural Seguros)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Caja Rural-Seguros RGA was so excited to be racing the Tour de France for the first time in 38 years that it revealed a switch-out kit a whole month ago.<\/p>\n

The second-tier Spanish squad is going retro-but-modern for its long-awaited return to the Tour. The swap-out is a modern replica of the jersey the squad wore when it last competed in the Tour in the late 80s.<\/p>\n

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The team\u2019s unexpected wildcard invite to the 2026 Tour de France was such a big deal that it even roped in 69-year-old Spanish legend Marino Lejarreta for its jersey presentation.<\/p>\n

Lejarreta scored the squad\u2019s best-ever Tour de France GC placing when he finished 10th overall in 1987.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tour of \u201987 was the first in which I ended up in the top-10 and when I began to understand how to run that race,\u201d Lejarreta said at the kit reveal in June. \u201cIt is the most important of the calendar. Succeeding there means succeeding in cycling. We did a good Tour both that year and the next with that jersey.\u201d<\/p>\n

The design also carries the hashtag #For\u00e7aJaume in support of its rider Jaume Guarde\u00f1o.<\/p>\n

The young Spaniard remains in critical condition after he suffered a severe training crash in the spring.<\/p>\n

Sign up for Velo\u2019s Tour Daily Newsletter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Updated July 2, 2026 04:47AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/tour-de-france\/tour-de-france-swap-out-kits\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SI202606210459-scaled-e1782973822364.jpg”] Jim Cotton Updated July 2, 2026 04:47AM Remember the days when grand tour switch-out kits were a quirky rarity? EF at the Giro d\u2019Italia, Visma at the Tour de France? Those were the good old days. The days when an apparel swap was a rare necessity, one reserved to prevent color clashes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-2024399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2024399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2024399\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2024399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2024399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2024399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}