In the 1986 Tour de France, American Greg LeMond raced to victory. The world deemed it a fluke. The following year, when an upstart American team, clad in Descente clothing, put its young American captain, Andy Hampsten on top of the podium at the Tour of Switzerland, the world took note. Then, in 1988, that same skinny kid from North Dakota, riding for that same Descente-wearing 7-Eleven team won the Giro d’Italia in a dramatic snowstorm over the Gavia Pass. The world had changed.
7-Eleven’s indomitable team spirit, innovative approaches and savvy tactics altered the cycling scene forever. The team personified the concept of cutting edge, always doing things differently, right down to the very clothing it raced and trained in.
The predecessors to the team’s Descente clothing was created back in Osaka in 1935 when Takeo Ishimoto launched the modern technical apparel revolution. The brand came to North America in 1979. The brand categories of cycling, running, and fitness were revived by former pro bike racer Hugh Walton in 2002. Since 2008, Veltec Sports has been the proud licensee of the Descente brand in North America and Europe.
The Descente “Spirit” logo, comprised of three arrows, represents the multi-dimensional and ceaseless pursuit of perfection in sporting apparel: function, innovation and quality, tied together through integrity. The power of the Descente brand continues to grow as seventy years of experience and collective passion for sports drives the ongoing mission to craft the finest technical apparel available today.