Team SD Worx to wear special jersey designed by Amy Pieters at Tour de France Femmes opener
Blue-black jersey part of cycling apparel collection designed by Pieters, who continues rehabilitation after suffering serious brain injuries in December crash.
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Team SD Worx will ride the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes Sunday in a special jersey, designed by its rider Amy Pieters.
Pieters was in a coma for three months after crashing at the team’s training camp in Calpe in December 2021 and suffering serious brain injuries.
She is currently working on her rehabilitation in Dordrecht, but still has “a long way to go,” according to her father. A crowdfunding campaign was launched last month to help Pieters with her rehab.
The 31-year-old is one of the team’s longest-serving riders, with the Dutch national championships, Ronde van Drenthe and GP de Plouay counting as her biggest victories.
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The Dutchwoman has been designing cycling jerseys and her own apparel collection since before her accident.
The jersey, which is blue-black rather than the outfit’s usual red-pink-purple, features Amy with a heart logo for the middle letter, as well as her name on the sleeve and a label on the back pocket.
“It is an honor for us as a team to present these clothes during the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes in Paris. We are very grateful to the UCI, the various national federations and Tour organizer ASO for making this possible,” says Team SD Worx sports manager Danny Stam in a team press release.
Pieters started working with team kit sponsor Specialized on a high-quality collection in the summer of 2021. She had a strong vision from the beginning, according to Specialized designer Lisan Dierkx.
“With inspiration from her America holiday trip last fall, the collection was quickly established by Amy, her clear ideas and trust in us,” Dierkx said. “The designs had to radiate something ‘nowadays’ with a twist. It was clear to me which colors Amy liked and what colors Amy didn’t like.
“We chose colors that are not often found in women’s cycling apparel collection. Amy also looked at trendy elements in everyday clothing that could be used in her cycling apparel collection. This is how the very first design came about; the Ocean collection.”
Team SD Worx will wear it in Sunday’s 81.6km opener around Paris, which starts at the Eiffel Tower and finishes on the Champs-Élysées.
Its six-rider team has designs on Tour de France Femmes stage and overall victory, with Demi Vollering, Ashleigh Moolman and Lotte Kopecky on board.
The full Amy Pieters collection is available on her website.