Will the kit change color in various weather conditions too?

UPDATE: According to team PR person, Marya Pongrace, Team Garmin-Slipstream will continue the argyle themed kit for 2010.

Team Garmin-Slipstream, the elite American professional cycling team dedicated to ethical sporting and developing the next generation of cycling champions, announced today that it will become Team Garmin-Transitions with the addition of Transitions Optical as a new sponsor of the team. Transitions Optical is world’s leading manufacturer of adaptive eyewear, offering the most advanced photochromic technology in the widest selection of spectacle lenses such as Transitions lenses as well as Transitions SOLFX® sun wear. From the mountains of the Grand Tours to the cobbles of the Classics, Team Garmin-Transitions athletes will wear Transitions® lenses as they race and train around the globe in various lighting conditions.

“The riders of this team have set the standard for ethical competition while racing and training with the best technology available,” said Brett Craig, President of Transitions Optical. “As we looked to replicate the success of our PGA relationship in North America with a similar relationship in Europe; cycling, and specifically Team Garmin, was the perfect fit for our organization. We share similar goals rooted in innovation and ethics and we are proud to join this elite squad as it continues to build on past success.”

Transitions® technology is ideally suited to the sport of cycling. The athletes of Team Garmin-Transitions are competing over hundreds of kilometers per day and continuously going through different lighting conditions. Training and racing with Transitions® lenses provides the team a true technological advantage that will increase visually acuity, reduce visual fatigue and have a profound effect on riders’ response times during decisive moments of racing.

“Our riders are constantly going through different lighting conditions while training and racing. If we can increase visual acuity and reduce visual fatigue, that gives us a big advantage on the road,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports, the sports management company that owns the team. “Like the team, Transitions is driven by innovation and a commitment to excellence. We are thrilled to work with them.”

As part of the sponsorship, Transitions will launch a major European marketing campaign featuring the team. According to Lindsay Brown, General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Transitions, “In the team, we have found a true partner that can help us deliver our brand message to millions of our partners and consumers in a meaningful, impactful way. We are excited to kick off this relationship and look forward to working with the riders and staff for years to come.”

Owned and managed by Slipstream Sports, Team Garmin-Transitions is dedicated to promoting ethical sporting and developing the next generation of cycling champions. In 2007, Slipstream created the most progressive anti-doping system in the professional sports world and now works with Anti-Doping Research, Inc. (ADR) and ADSI (the Anti-Doping Sciences Institute) to continue its anti-doping mission.

“From a business standpoint, working with Transitions is a perfect fit,” said Matt Johnson, President of Slipstream Sports. “The sponsorship provides Transitions an opportunity to showcase their products to customers, globally.”

About Transitions Optical
Transitions Optical is the world’s leading manufacturer of adaptive spectacle lenses. Transitions® lenses are everyday prescription lenses that provide comfortable vision and protection for the eyes. As clear as regular lenses indoors, they adapt to light outdoors according to the intensity of UV light to provide more comfortable vision whilst blocking 100% of harmful UVA and UVB rays.

Millions of consumers are satisfied with their Transitions lenses (87% rated the latest Transitions technology as excellent/very good). Transitions lenses are available in practically any prescription and can be fitted in almost any frame style. One pair of Transitions lenses is sold every second around the globe.

In 2009, Transitions Optical has launched a range of adaptive sunwear Transitions® SOLFX™, designed to enhance visual performance in specific outdoor activities. While traditional sunglasses have one fixed tint, Transitions SOLFX products adjust the level of darkness and change colour according to the intensity of sunlight.

Since its foundation in 1990, the US based company Transitions Optical is dedicated to raise awareness on the impact of UV rays on eye health and to promote healthy sight in general. The company owns 80 registered patents that protect its advanced technologies. Transitions lenses are the # 1 recommended photochromic lenses worldwide.