In a week’s time I’ll be nicely settled in my ‘mobil’ en France – the Vendee to be more precise.

My long-term love for Little Tommy Voeckler has grown even stronger this tour and I feel now is the time to buy my first team jersey, having resisted the idea for many years. It seems that nowhere online in the UK sells Europcar kit, not even probikekit which claims to have the biggest range of team kit in the world. A couple of Euro sites sell them but I thought I’d have more luck in France. Anybody know where I’ve got the best chance of getting one? If French bike shops are like the Dutch ones I was in last summer they’re very utilitarian and ‘no frills’. The Vendee is the home of Europcar so maybe my chances are better? I vaguely remember buying a US Postal Service bottle from Decathlon a long time ago, anybody know if they sell team kit these days?

It would be great to be riding my trusty old road bike (most sensible one-bike only choice) around the Vendeen back roads resplendent in the emerald green…if push comes to shove I’d settle for a cycling cap…

http://www.louisgarneau.com/us-en/product/0/2820619/_/

Cheers clubber, that would be coming from the states and i doubt it would arrive by next Thursday when we’re heading off. Following your link I see Evans sell them for £65.

I’m still hanging my hopes on France, anybody any suggestions?

I was I a couple of decathlon stores I France this week and saw a couple of different team shirts but no europcar versions.

Look on http://www.pagesjaunes.fr for the nearest cycles shops near where you are staying

I thought I’d seen this kit in Bike Bristol in the window display- give them a ring.

http://www.bike-uk.co.uk/bikebristol.php

Only small left though

http://www.bobshop.de/en/Team-clothing/Team-clothing/Europcar/2011/EUROPCAR-jersey-2011.html?force_sid=7d8d548df73e7b5b3a22fc78dcf5b543

Stuff in decathlon will be cheap, fake, and rubbish IME.

Stuff in decathlon will be cheap, fake, and rubbish IME.

Companies the size of Decathlon aren’t going to knock out fake kit 🙄

I doubt they’ll have it all the same

Stuff in decathlon will be cheap, fake, and rubbish IME

Eh?

Decathlon, international sports megastore, who equipped a team in the Tour the other year… 🙄

get to one of the start towns of the Tour…they have a big stall selling all the team jerseys

evans website is listing all sizes in stock

http://www.evanscycles.com

Stuff in decathlon will be cheap, fake, and rubbish and be of decent quality, proof of which is the fleeces, tents, kid’s bikes and summer wetsuits we’ve bought from them over the years, all of which have put in years of service without fault IME.

FTFY

I’m 3 weeks late getting to a start town – the grand depart was in the Vendee, don’t think the rest of the family will be up for a detour to Paris…

Cheers for the other ‘leads’, will check them out

fake kits were available round the pompidou centre last month, no europcar but i’m sure thats changed given the success!!

Last time I was in a European Décathlon (Brussels iirc) they had quite a few flavours of not-fake replica cycle team kit. Not particularly cheap though.

This any good? http://www.evanscycles.com/products/europcar/2011-team-short-sleeve-jersey-by-louis-garneau-ec029425

Yes, my extensive search failed to pick up on Evans…

Think that’ll be my fall back as its a bit pricey, will have a butchers in France.

There is a cycle shop in Longville sur Mer with all the team jerseys/ shorts but be warned they are not cheap, if I remember rightly the top team jerseys were 70 euros

My local bikeshop near La Chataigneraie, is very road orientated, and would more than likely have a jerseys in, but I’m in the UK at the moment and can’t pop in and find out for you.

I’ve still got an unopened full set of team postcards from the Team Bougytel days 😉

i am sure they will sell them here, as they are the official “boutique”

http://www.country-sports.fr/boutique.php3?idRayon=31

which can be found here

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=31+rue+Bellevue+85390+Saint+Maurice+le+Girard&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x4806ef8ec1cabbc9:0x20796c012995301a,31+Rue+Bellevue,+85390+Saint-Maurice-le-Girard,+France&gl=uk&ei=–glTquzH4jIhAe5_uXnCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ8gEwAA

i would ring to check first though, as i guess they are popular at the moment. good luck.

That’s the one, well done thehillsofsomerset!