2019 Best In Kit Podium
First Place: Mines Cycling
Second Place: Portland State University
Third Place: Oberlin College
View the full bracket, or learn about our top three clubs and what inspired their kits below.
Colorado School of Mines
Where did Mines Cycling get all that steeze?
We have been rolling in style since 2002! We are a small, close knit team and we started with a rad group who has passed down their ways from the old Seniors to the new Freshmen.
Who designed these rad kits?
Our Club Officers you see in most of our photos from the contest designed our kits. Shout out to Jake Wands, Dan McMahon, Jon Wells, Laura Leonard, and our Castelli representative Alvin Nordell who worked to make some magic. After several iterations we knew we had something good, and then we saw the matching aero socks and we knew we had something amazing.
What's your favorite part about these kits?
Our favorite features are the mountain silhouettes, which are a tribute to the Golden Colorado foothills that are home to the legendary Lookout Mountain where we host our annual Chad Young Memorial Hill Climb. This leads to our other favorite feature, which is the "CY" logo you will see over our hearts on the kits. This is in memory of our teammate Chad Young who passed away due to a cycling accident. The logo supports the Chad William Young Foundation and everything we do, whether it is in our kit design, the race we host, or everyday rides we aspire to be as kind and inspiring as he was.
The first ever #BestInKit contest was swept by collegiate clubs. Why do you think that is?
Because collegiate cycling teams rock! We are all student athletes and like to express our creativity and enthusiasm for the sport in our kits!
Will Mines Cycling be back next year to defend its title?
We would love to! We hope we raised the bar with our outgoing photos, and we would love to top our photos next year.
See what Mines Cycling is up to on Instagram, Facebook, or at Mines Athletics.
Portland State University
Who came up with that sweet kit design? Is there a story behind it?
When we were working on the new kit design our goal was to create something that could be raced in after the collegiate season was over. A piece that wouldn’t feel out of place at the local races, whether it was cyclocross or road.
Who took the professional looking photos? Or do the kits just look that good?
One of our teammates took the photos at one of our favorite roads for team rides. The new kit came alive amongst the greenery during the photo shoot.
What's your favorite sock combo with this kit?
Our favorite sock combo for this kit are the matcha digi camo socks made by The Athletic. The Athletic is a local sock company that has been supporting PSU Cycling for many years, so we try our best to show off their socks on social media as much as we can.
See what PSU Cycling is up to on Instagram or Facebook.
Oberlin College
Oberlin's colors are Cardinal Red and Mikado Yellow. Where did the pink come from?
Over the past couple of years, we’ve had several more subdued designs, featuring Oberlin’s red and yellow, but in my freshman year, we decided to switch it up and go in a different direction. We chose pink for a few reasons. We wanted something bright and unique that would stand out, and what does that better than the color pink? Also, Oberlin College has a long history of social activism, and we wanted something that would combat the masculine stereotypes and toxic masculinity that are common in the athletic world. The pink is a way to express our values and have some fun with it at the same time.
What's the story behind the squirrel?
While Oberlin’s sports mascot is the Yeoman/Yeowoman, the school’s official mascot is actually the Albino Squirrel! Oberlin’s campus is known, at least in part, for having albino squirrels, so the school decided to adopt that as its official mascot in 2014.
Who designed the Oberlin Cycling kit?
I (Adam Fulcher) was the main person in charge of designing the kit, but I had a bunch of help from teammates and our kit supplier, Be Free Ride Bikes.
Follow the albino squirrel on Facebook.
Where does your kit stack up?
We hope you had as much fun with this contest as we did! Thanks to all of the participating clubs for making Best in Kit a blast and for showing off different kit designs from around the nation. This was the inaugural Best In Kit, and we unfortunately had to turn away clubs once the bracket was full. But we'll be back next year, and we hope you'll join us for Best In Kit 2020!
