Movistar unveil 2017 team kit

Spanish WorldTour team Movistar unveiled their 2017 team kit at an event in London on Thursday evening. British time trial champion Alex Dowsett and Jim McFarlane from Scottish clothing manufacturer Endura revealed the reworked team clothing.

On first glance, there appear to be little in the way of changes from the 2016 version – the dark blue background and large green 'M' for Movistar are retained. However, closer inspection and a direct comparison to last year's kit reveals that the 'M' is no longer given a '3D' effect and the name Movistar is now completely absent from the jersey front.

Given that the design of the kit was one of the most popular and recognisable in the peloton – as well as following closely to the branding of lead sponsor Movistar telecommunications – it's hardly any surprise that there are no major changes.

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According to Endura and Movistar, there have been some technical advances with the materials and physical structure of the clothing for 2017, thanks to time spent in the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 wind tunnel used by cycling aerodynamic specialists Drag2Zero.

“Our staff and aero-partners have spent a lot of time and effort on its updated design encompassing aero properties as well as other functional aspects of the fabrics and the finer details”, said McFarlane in a team statement.

“We’ve been working closely with the riders and Movistar Team's technical staff to refine and optimise the designs. Just as was the case last year, it’s not just the graphic design that changes for 2017.”

Movistar is hoping that its Grand Tour star Nairo Quintana will take his first Tour de France victory in 2017, having already won the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España.