(Andover, Mass.) - December 13, 2017 - Polartec, the premium provider of innovative textile solutions, unveils the cycling kit developed for the Alberto Contador Foundation Continental, Under-23, and Junior teams, which Polartec sponsors. Primarily working with leading cycling apparel brands to solve problems through textiles, Polartec produced the entire kit--from fabric, to finished pieces--for the teams. This represents an unprecedented collaborative development between a fabric technology company and a cycling team.

Originally unveiled at a November training camp in Tucson, Arizona, the camp brought together team riders and staff, Polartec staff, and invited media to realize Polartec CEO Gary Smith's vision of bringing the team to America. Many of the team members had not visited the states before, and the focus was on having fun, life beyond the bike, and of course using the kit on training rides in spectacular places like Saguaro National Park and Mount Lemmon.

To commemorate the visit to Arizona, guests were provided with an exclusive design of the kit featuring the colors of the Arizona state flag. In development since Polartec began its support of the Contador Foundation in 2015, the kit takes a fresh look at each piece of modern cycling apparel, and currently remains exclusive to the teams. Comprised of a full range of Polartec fabric solutions, each piece was designed and rigorously tested to enable the utmost comfort, performance, and versatility. Collectively, it is the most advanced apparel solution for any cycling team.

The kit includes the following items:

• baselayer tank made of Polartec® Power Wool® fabric, a unique wool fabric that places just fine merino wool next to skin, and just synthetic on the outside in a bi-component knit that simultaneously harnesses the natural comfort of wool, while improving its durability and moisture management
• jersey made of Polartec® Power Stretch® compression fabric, a fabric designed to provide aerodynamics and muscle support with superior breathability and moisture management
• jersey made of Polartec® Delta&trade cooling fabric, a special fiber and yarn construction engineered to optimize the body&rsquos natural evaporative cooling process
• bib shorts made of Polartec® Power Stretch® compression fabric
• arm warmers and leg warmers made of Polartec® Power Stretch® compression fabric
• vest made of Polartec® Windbloc® windproof fabric and Polartec® Delta&trade cooling fabric
• vest made of Polartec® Alpha® breathable insulation, the solution for U.S. Special Operations Forces that created the &lsquoactive insulation&rsquo category
• jacket made of Polartec® Power Shield® Pro soft shell fabric, the most breathable waterproof soft shell fabric
• gloves made of Polartec® Power Stretch® compression fabric
• cycling cap made of Polartec® Power Dry® moisture management fabric and Polartec® Delta&trade cooling fabric
• neck warmer made of Polartec® Power Stretch® and Polartec® Delta&trade cooling fabrics

The kit will be worn by a total of 38 cyclists next year between the Continental, under-23 and Junior teams.

"Our goal is to become the leading brand in performance textiles for cycling, and our work with the Contador Foundation enables us to do what we do best, which is solve problems through textiles." says Polartec CEO Gary Smith. "What led us to work with the Contador Foundation, though, are the people involved, and their mission to provide others with health and continuity in life."

"I've had the opportunity to spend some fantastic days of training in Arizona with the Polartec staff and the Foundation riders and we have all been able to see the great level of the equipment that we will use next season," says Alberto Contador, President of the Alberto Contador Foundation. "After retiring as a professional cyclist, sharing the project of the Foundation with a sponsor like Polartec gives me an extra motivation to keep working, because we have the same ideas of innovation, hard work and commitment to the future of the sport and our young cyclists."

"Having Polartec as the main sponsor is a great added value for our project," adds Fran Contador, General Manager of the Alberto Contador Foundation. "They share our work philosophy and our values, feeling this project as their own, which means unbeatable support for the Alberto Contador Foundation and for the development of our young cyclists. All the clothing items are manufactured by Polartec to the highest standard, using the most innovative fabric technologies of any team. Having these kits at our disposal is an added improvement to the performance of our riders in any weather condition, something momentous in today's cycling, in which any detail makes a difference."

"The sponsorship of Polartec to the Contador Foundation teams guarantees us the continuity for the next three years of a project that gets a little bigger each year," says Ivan Basso, Sport Manager of the Polartec-Kometa Continental Team. "Thanks to our sponsors, in 2018 our dream of starting up a young professional team with a great future ahead has come true. Both for me and for Alberto Contador it is a pride to carry the name of Polartec in our jersey."

About Polartec

Polartec is the premium provider of innovative and sustainable textile solutions. Since inventing modern technical fleece in 1981, the engineers at Polartec continue to advance the science of fabric, creating fabric technologies that solve problems and improve the way products are designed and used. Polartec products range from lightweight wicking and cooling fabrics, to insulation and weather protection textiles, and are utilized by leading consumer brands, the U.S. Military and other global militaries, flame resistance, workwear, and contract upholstery markets. For more information, please visit Polartec.com and follow Polartec on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.