Green or grey? Why Ineos had to tone down the colour scheme for their first jersey under new Netcompany identity

The Netcompany-Ineos Cycling Team has unveiled its first jersey under the new partnership with Danish IT firm Netcompany, set to debut at the 2026 Giro d’Italia. Contrary to initial expectations that the kit would feature Netcompany’s signature dark petrol green, the team opted for a much lighter, greyish-green shade. This decision was influenced by new UCI regulations coming into effect in 2025, which require team jerseys to be clearly distinguishable from the leader’s jerseys in Grand Tours and Women’s WorldTour events. The lighter colour choice was primarily made to avoid clashing with the Tour de France’s dark green sprint classification jersey, which adopted Skoda’s corporate green in 2023. The UCI’s updated rules mean teams must ensure their kits do not resemble the distinctive leader jerseys, prompting Ineos to tone down Netcompany’s usual palette. While some teams have resorted to alternate kits for specific races to navigate these restrictions, Ineos chose to adapt its primary design to maintain brand consistency without breaching regulations. In addition to the colour changes, the jersey features a prominent white rectangle on the front and back displaying the logo of TotalEnergies, a sponsor that joined the team ahead of the last Tour de France. Unlike TotalEnergies’ branding in other motorsport partnerships, where logos are often colour-matched to the team’s livery, the cycling jersey retains the company’s full-colour rainbow logo against a white background. The team also reverted to traditional black bib shorts for the new kit, moving away from the grey and white shorts seen on previous designs. This careful balancing act between sponsor identity, regulatory compliance, and aesthetic appeal highlights the complexities teams face in modern professional cycling. The new jersey not only reflects the evolving commercial landscape but also underscores the increasing influence of governing body rules on team branding. As the partnership with Netcompany progresses, it will be interesting to see how the team continues to navigate these factors in future kit designs and race appearances.