Team SD Worx in blue for teammate Amy Pieters at Tour opener

When the Team SD Worx riders line up for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in the morning, they'll be wearing their hearts, or rather Amy's heart on their sleeves.

The super squad today unveiled a special blue edition of their kit, designed by teammate Amy Pieters in 2021.

Pieters suffered severe brain injuries after crashing at a team training camp in December. She lost consciousness following the fall, and was airlifted to a hospital in Alicante. She underwent surgery to relieve pressure on her brain and was placed in an induced coma for several months. She's awake now, working on her rehabilitation in Dordrecht and spending her weekends at home with her family.  But the road to recovery will be a long one.

At the Dutch National Championships this past June, friends and family launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Dutchwoman who'd won her first National Champion title 12 months prior. The fund, called "Amy Pieters: Champion of hearts", is meant to help Pieters get the care and support she needs in the journey ahead.

"It is an honor for us as a team to present these clothes during the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes in Paris. We are very grateful to the international cycling union UCI, the various national federations and Tour organizer ASO for making this possible," said Team SD Worx sports manager Danny Stam in a statement.

Prior to the accident, Pieters had started designing cycling jerseys and wished to launch her own cycling apparel collection. The A❤Y logo, which has been worn and promoted by Pieters' teammates and friends within the peloton at various occasions, is the logo Pieters had conceived for her apparel line.

By wearing the special jersey at this momentous occasion, SD Worx hopes to bring awareness to the crowdfunding and to give the public a first taste of Pieters' apparel line, SD Worx' GC hopeful Demi Vollering told Cycling Weekly.

The jersey design, called The Ocean Collection, was inspired by Pieters' last vacation the the U.S. Produced by Specialized, will go on sale to the public to benefit the fundraiser. Details to be released at amypieters.nl.