So the coolest team in the peloton has sadly disbanded for next season (2011). What are we going to do now for fashion tips?!

A collaboration between Cervelo and Castelli has been a dream for anyone who knows and loves cycling. Cervelo are at the leading edge of bike technology; helping Carlos Sastre win the 2008 Tour de France while Castelli develop and produce clothing that the entire office drool over. Combined with Zipp, Speedplay, Vittoria, 3T, Rotor Bike Components and fi’zi:k, the team has become a massively respected and hugely followed success story. How sad then that it must come to an end!

Since 2008, the Cervelo boys and girls have been fighting it out on the Pro circuit and the rider list reads like a dream team. The mighty Thor, Heinrich Haussler, the young talent of Tondo and the old war horse Carlos Sastre – they’d be on my list for a support team every time before I launch my devastating 4th cat sprint for the line!

The first team to come out with a special Tour de France edition team kit to keep the riders cool and the first to release a purpose made ‘race’ aero jersey. Cervelo Test Team have certainly lived up to their development expectations.

If you said a black, white and red kit to a passer by they’d struggle to imagine just how distinctive the kit is in the peloton. This becomes even more sad as of around two weeks ago we found out that the Cervelo Test Team won’t be racing as a team in 2011.

With that in mind, we’d like to remind you of some of the highlights and star performances that the team has provided us with. My personal choice is the day Thor Hushovd went away on his own in the Tour on stage 17, a mountainous and scorching day to secure his green jersey. A sprinter heading off on his own on a mountains day – just pause for a second and register that!

Gaining the two sprints and with encouragement from the sponsors who next day had given his bike custom Zipp decals, green tinted Rotor cranks and the blazing green jersey to ride into Paris with, he put on an awesome performance.

Next on our list is the women’s team who’ve been succeeding in everything they enter. With Lizzy Armitstead, newly crowned World TT Champion Emma Pooley and Iris Slappendel (great name) they are flying high right now. The win list reads very long:

Cervélo TestTeam (2010)

* 1st, La Flèche Wallonne Féminine – Emma Pooley
* 1st, GP Ciudad de Valladolid – Charlotte Becker
* 1st, General Classification, Tour de l’Aude Cycliste Féminin – Emma Pooley

Cervélo TestTeam (2009)

* 1st, 2009 UCI Women’s Road World Cup – Team Standings Champion
* 1st, Berner-Rundfahrt / Tour de Berne – Kristin Armstrong
* 1st, La Coupe du Monde Cycliste Féminine de Montréal – Emma Pooley
* 1st, Open de Suède Vargarda TTT – (Team Time Trial)
* 1st, General Classification, Tour de l’Aude Cycliste Féminin – Claudia Häusler
* 1st, General Classification, Giro d’Italia Femminile – Claudia Häusler
* 1st, Points Classification – Claudia Häusler
* 1st, GP de Plouay-Bretagne – Emma Pooley
* 1st, Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt – Kirsten Wild

Cervélo – Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team (2008)

* 1st, Open de Suède Vargarda TTT – (Team Time Trial)
* 1st, General Classification, NZCT Women’s Tour of New Zealand – Kristin Armstrong
* 1st, Team Classification, Tour de Feminin – Krasna Lipa (2.2W)
* 1st, General Classification, Cascade Cycling Classic – Kristin Armstrong
* 1st, Points Classification, Cascade Cycling Classic – Kristin Armstrong

The Cervelo Test Team Kit:

One of the most influential pieces of kit was the Aero Jersey; we have an Aero version of our Team jersey as do Saxo Bank.

• Honesty
• Innovate
• Sacrifice
• Unite
• Succeed

– CTT’s and riders’ goals which they’ve tried to stick to throughout.

One of the first shorts to have a lycra powerband leg gripper instead of the industry standard silicone gripper, the shorts are a masterpiece of testing and quality. They might cost the wrong side of £100 but boy are they worth it – ask anyone who has bought a pair if they’re impressed to see if I’m lying or not!

We shouldn’t also forget the casual and compression range of clothing with CTT have tried and developed.

The casual range encompasses t-shirts, hoodies and jogging pants for regular use. It’s all smart, made with top quality fabrics and looks at home in nearly every situation.

The compression, in collaboration with 2XU (who already made some of the best compression available) looks great again with its discreet branding and great technical compressive qualities.

Luckily, in case you haven’t managed to purchase some CTT kit we’ve just had a massive re-stock (and I mean massive!).

The team might not exist after this year but the legacy they’ve left behind will go on – the Project California frame, Thor and his mighty sprint finish and the oh so cool fashion styles they’ve penned – who would have thought that 9 cm sock cuffs would have been cool?!

So grab yourself a piece of cycling history, because once they’ve gone, they’ve gone for ever! Click here to view the range.