Simon Yates used Vorteq's custom-made skinsuit to take a dramatic victory on the second stage of the Giro d'Italia in Budapest over race leader Mathieu Van Der Pol and former world champion Tom Dumoulin.

Yates' skinsuit is branded by Ale, the official clothing partner of BikeExchange-Jayco, but is instantly recognizable as a Vorteq product. Cycling News also reports separately that the skinsuit is a Vorteq design.

Yates set the fastest time at the intermediate checkpoint of stage 2, taking the hot seat 5 seconds faster than Dumoulin over the 9.2 km course. Van der Pol retained the overall lead by 3 seconds, while Yates moved into second place, well ahead of his rivals.

British sports performance brand Vorteq has provided custom skin suits to several high-profile riders, including Alex Dowsett's hour record attempt late last year. Dowsett is also wearing the brand's £600 overshoes in the same race in 2021. The brand offers extremely meticulous bespoke custom design of aerodynamic cycling equipment, and its £2,750 skinsuit stands out as its flagship product.

Alongside the skinsuit itself, the company offers custom-fitting R&D programs starting at £5,750. These programs include "3D scanning and custom clothing patterns" and include two hours of wind tunnel testing at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub.

Custom and single-use skinsuits are not a new addition to World Tour racing, and many athletes use custom-designed skinsuits to gain an edge over their competitors. Chris Froome caused controversy a few years ago when he wore a skinsuit with dimples called "vortex generators" that violated UCI (International Cycling Union) rules.

Endura's D2Z encapsulated suit was also subsequently banned and Endura withdrew its sponsorship from Movistar.

Voltek's skin suits stand out for their price. Endura's custom-made skinsuits, for example, previously raised eyebrows with their price of £450, but the tight fit and thin material generally means they have a short shelf life.

At £2,750, the Voltec is probably one of the most expensive pieces of performance cycling clothing ever used in competition.