Designer defends her 'nude' Colombian cycling kit

Pictures of the flesh-coloured kit that made Colombian team IDRD-Bogota Humana-San Mateo-Solgar look naked below the waste, went viral around the world this week.

The cries of derision were such that the English president of the International Cycling Union Brian Cookson even came out and said they were "unacceptable by any standard of decency."

However, 22-year-old Angie Tatiana Rojas, a member of the team who also designed the kit, has spoken of her dismay over the coverage the outfit has received.

"I think it's sad that it takes something like this for cycling, and women's cycling in particular, to get this much press," she said in an interview with the Cycling Inquisition.

"But we have to make the most of this moment, however it came to be. In the end, our reason for training, for racing and for every pedal stroke is to make our families proud, and to represent our city and Colombia with pride."

Rojas explained why she decided to take on the task of designing the kit and the selection of the controversial colour scheme.

"It was to highlight our team's sponsors, that was always the goal. I offered to design the kit, in order to help my team, and to be helpful to the organisation and my fellow riders.

"(The design) came from the primary colours of our sponsors. In fact, it was going to be the kit's primary colour, throughout the upper portion.

"But within the peloton, that colour would not be visible enough, so we opted to switch it to the shorts, and instead used red and yellow on the upper part, for the sake of visibility. The red and yellow are the colours of the flag of Bogota."

The primary sponsor of the team is a vitamin company called Solgar who use the skin like colour on most of their products.

Rojas designed the kit in January and the team have been using it since early this year.

Despite the unwanted publicity, Rojas has said it has not had a negative effect or her or her team-mates, and if anything has brought them closer together.

"Even before this, we were very close and worked together as a team. We are friends first, and women that know what it's like to sacrifice and train every day.

"So we are doing well, and we are at peace, because we know that as a team, everything we've done has always been done with the best intentions. No malice or anything other than love and passion for the sport has ever been a part of what we've done or continue to do."

The team also held a press conference in Colombia while wearing the kit, and said they were not ashamed to continue wearing it.