Video: Colombian riders "not ashamed" of That Kit

The designer of the team kit for the Colombian IDRD-Bogota Humana-San Mateo-Solgar women's squad has defended her design and says she's not ashamed to wear the outfit.

Angie Tatiana Rojas, the team rider who designed the kit, spoke about the design to Cycling Inquisition, a site that's devoted to Colombian cycling.

She said the idea of the design was simple: "to highlight our team's sponsors, that was always the goal."

The colour of the gold mid-section, which can looks like a flesh-tone when photographed in poor light, "came from the primary colors of our sponsors," Rojas said. "In fact, it was going to be the kit's primary color, throughout the upper portion. But within the peloton, that color would not be visible enough, so we opted to switch it to the shorts, and instead used red and yellow on the upper part, for the sake of visibility. The red and yellow are the colors of the flag of Bogota.

"As for the color around the shorts … it's the primary color used by Solgar, a company that makes vitamins, and also similar to that of San Mateo University, another one of our sponsors."

Rojas has a degree in communications and journalism and started her sporting career as a speedskater before turning to cycling "because it's so challenging, so beautiful and so hard."

Her poise in fending off the daftness of kit-that-looks-nude-in-bad-light-gate shows in this video, posted to YouTube by the Telegraph:

"As an athlete, as a woman, as the cyclist that I am, I wouldn't be ashamed with this kind of design," she said.

"I think the feeling we have is more curiosity and amazement," she said about the furore that erupted when a pic of her team kit went viral last weekend.

"We don't know why these things happen. But we put our souls into cycling and try to give the best for our country."

Talking to Cycling Inquisition she said: "I think it's sad that it takes something like this for cycling, and women's cycling in particular, to get this much press."

She added that if anything, the experience has strengthened the team.

"Even before this, we were very close," Rojas said. "We are at peace, because [we] know that as a team, everything we've done has always been done with the best intentions. No malice or anything other than love and passion for the sport has ever been a part of what we've done or continue to do."

Meanwhile, however, the UCI issued a statement saying that it had looked into the issue of the team's kit.

It said:

"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has investigated the issue of the kits worn by women’s club team IDRD-Bogota Humana-San Mateo-Solgar of Colombia, this weekend in Italy, in the Tour of Tuscany, a 3-day event registered on the UCI calendar as a 2.2 race. The UCI will be sending a letter to the Colombian Federation reminding them of their responsibility regarding article 1.3.046 in the control of regional and club team kits that compete in international events."

For those not familiar with the minutiae of the UCI rule book, article 1.3.046 says:

"Each regional or club team for whom one or more riders take part in an event on the international calendar must, at the start of the year, notify the details of their clothing to their national federation specifying in detail the colours and their arrangement and the main sponsors.

"The name of the region and/or club may appear, in full or in abbreviated form, on the jersey."

It's hard to see in that any onus on the national federation or team to make sure that kit photographs well if photographed in unflattering lighting conditions, but it could be argued that the UCI had to do something, having dug itself into a hole with this tweet from president Brian Cookson after the fuss about IDRD-Bogota Humana's kit erupted on twitter:

To the many who have raised the issue of a certain women's team kit, we are on the case. It is unacceptable by any standard of decency.

— Brian Cookson OBE (@BrianCooksonUCI) September 14, 2014

Cookson was responding to the initial furore about the team's kit, most of which arose before all the facts had emerged - much of that initial reaction amusement rather than outrage.

One of the most influential people criticising the kit was Wiggle-Honda rider Kathryn Bertine. Bertine was one of the three riders who last year called for a women's Tour de France, a campaign that eventually resulted in a women's race on the Champs Elysees on the final day of this year's Tour.

Bertine tweeted:

@nealrogers I have a healthy sense of humor, but this is just wrong. I know these riders & S.Amer racing. They can't speak up w/o severe...

— Kathryn Bertine (@KathrynBertine) September 14, 2014

@nealrogers ...consequence. I've emailed @BrianCooksonUCI. I think he can take a great stand and fix this embarrassment.

— Kathryn Bertine (@KathrynBertine) September 14, 2014

Another prominent rider, Nicole Cooke, also joined the chorus of disapproval that appears to have spurred Cookson into action:

This has turned the sport into a joke. Girls stand up for yourselves - say no pic.twitter.com/Jpt1Vo9Xog

— Nicole Cooke (@NicoleCooke2012) September 14, 2014

@BrianCooksonUCI @gaudryt Please ask the commissaire to ensure these girls are dressed properly for the next race pic.twitter.com/galiQ0NHvI

— Nicole Cooke (@NicoleCooke2012) September 14, 2014

But many people pointed out that the kit had been designed by a team rider and looked perfectly sensible in real life.

Even the UK's cycling charity CTC got involved, with this tweet earning them an angry email from Cookson:

The #UCI: focusing on what matters... @BrianCooksonUCI pic.twitter.com/2nrEwRiHHy

— CTC (@CTC_Cyclists) September 16, 2014

While its intentions were no doubt sound UCI appears to have reacted on the basis of needing to be seen to do something quickly especially on social media to respond to comments about the team and possibly doing so before they had the full facts at their disposal. Cookson's tweet in particular fuelled much mainstream media comment, including the Guardian fashion section asking if the kit had been inspired by "an unwanted, half-dressed Barbie doll, hanging out of a bin".

Given her grace under pressure throughout this kerfuffle and her Actual Qualifications™ in the field, if the UCI does need any help in handling tough media situations they could do a lot worse than offer the job to Angie Tatiana Rojas.