In a recent post about the 2011 Scottish road race championships, I pondered the issue of a Scottish Champion’s jersey.

I got a couple of responses on this issue so wanted to follow it up. Apparently a Scottish Champion’s jersey was on the agenda a couple of years ago but cost was an issue- the SCU was obliged to have a jersey for all events (e.g. men’s and women’s TT: 10mile, 25 and 50, road races, criteriums, mountain bike events) and all levels (e.g. mens and womens senior, junior and youth categories).

I’ve seen a Welsh Crit Champion’s jersey worn by Team Wiggle sponsored rider Ben Simmons, with the familiar white design with horizontal stripes representing the country’s flag.

Apparently Halfords put in sponsorship money so Wales could have jerseys for every discipline and level of champion – a deal that might have involved Nicole Cooke, as she rode for Halfords Bikehut in 2008 and 2009. In 2010 the Welsh championship jerseys have been sponsored by Champion System and feature more red and green and less white.

If we needed a jersey sponsor to make it happen, Endura would be an obvious candidate. Do they need more market penetration in their home country though? We are all familiar with the riders and the clothing lines, so it might not be particularly attractive for the company. Maybe Scottish Power Renewables, who sponsor the Super Six series of races would be interested.

These days in Scotland, there is new investment and enthusiasm, so we might not need a sponsor. A Champion’s jersey seems to be back on the agenda – apparently this was proposed at a recent SCU AGM, and it will probably happen in the future, but we might not see it for another year.

A side point- Scottish Cycling isn’t affiliated to the UCI, so if in the unlikely event that David Millar was to swan in and win the road race and the TT, he wouldn’t be wearing the jersey at UCI races like the Tour de France or the classics. It’s not clear what the criteria for wearing the jersey would be though- just Scottish Cycling, or British Cycling races? Or if an Endura rider was to win it (more likely), could they wear it on the continent in events such as the Tour of Murcia? There’s also the possibility of multiple jersey winners starting in one field e.g a female, male vet, and junior in a ‘B’ race or APR. All these are details for a technical committee to sort out.

Finally- designs. I favour the classy and traditional-style all-white with two blue bands. Below is an example of a Scottish National team jersey by Endura. You’re welcome to send me your mock-ups and I will blog them.