Louisville-based Pearl Izumi has filed a lawsuit against Slipstream Sports — which manages the Garmin-Slipstream pro cycling team — over a dozen “winged suits” that the technical clothing manufacturer made for the riders.
The winged suits are cycling outfits with “an aerodynamic winged sleeve for smoothing airflow around the bicep area of the cyclist,” according to the lawsuit filed last week in Boulder District Court.
Pearl Izumi, which has been sponsoring the Garmin-Slipstream team since January 2009, claims that they gave 12 prototype winged suits to the cycling team for them to test in competition in mid-June.
In late July, Pearl Izumi asked the team to return the suits, but they refused, as they have after “repeated requests” since then, according to the lawsuit. Pearl Izumi now believes the winged suits are in the hands of Robby Ketchell, a consultant that works as the team’s sport science director.
Last week, just a few days before the lawsuit was filed, Slipstream Sports announced that the company would now be partnering with Castelli, another cycling clothing manufacturer. A press release from Slipstream Sports quotes Castelli brand manager Steve Smith as saying, “We have created a joint research and development program working with Robby Ketchell… “
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