OK, maybe you don’t have titanium legs, the lung capacity to inflate the Goodyear blimp or even the oddball tan lines of a world-class bicyclist.
But now you can at least dress like one.
Pearl Izumi, the Louisville company that outfits the Garmin-Slipstream Professional Cycling Team, has just launched a retail line of its Black Star Design aero jerseys and shorts. It was the same gear that Garmin-Slipstream’s nine starting riders rode into Paris on July 26 at the climax of the 3,500-kilometer Tour de France.
“The team has been a catalyst for product development for us,” said Cache Mundy, Pearl Izumi’s vice president of marketing. “They have exacting standards, give us constant feedback, and because they ride ‘clean’ they need to feel they have every edge in equipment they can get.”
The jerseys, retailing for $120, are an amalgam of artful sewing and high-tech fabrics, notably the PRO-Transfer Aero line. The bib shorts feature aerodynamic dimpling similar to that found on a golf ball, plus a three-dimensional molded chamois where the rider meets the bike saddle. The shorts go for $165.
Mundy said the Black Star line is tailored to fit elite athletes in their bike crouch.
“It’s not about how it looks walking into Starbucks, but how it fits on the bike,” he said.
Area retailers carrying the Black Star line include Bicycle Village in Boulder, Aurora and Colorado Springs; Bikesource in Denver and Littleton; Littleton Cyclery and Wheatridge Cyclery in Wheat Ridge.
“I’d say we’re cautiously optimistic about the sales potential of the line,” said Charlie Nowacki, merchandise manager at Bicycle Village’s Boulder store. “There’s a lot of competition for high-end cycling clothing out there. But as far as Pearl Izumi goes, we love their stuff.”
The Boulder-based Garmin-Slipstream team had a solid showing on the Tour: All nine riders who started the race in Monaco on July 5 entered Paris, a boast not all teams can make. Team member Tyler Farrar placed third in the final sprint, earning a spot on the podium for that stage.
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com
