Adobe Illustrator creates graphics for Mark Cavendish ‘Fighter Pilot’ Bike

Link via VeloNews

Mark Cavendish was the undisputed sprint ace in the 2009 Tour de France with 6 stage wins including a win in the final stage on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Special graphics reflecting a World War II fighter plane were created for his bike:

Girardin said the process of creating the custom graphics was essentially the same as for a production bike. All the graphics are generated in Adobe Illustrator as vector files, and then printed on water transfer decals. “Before we send it (the graphics kit) to our factory, we print it and try all the graphics on a bike in size 52 to make sure all the lines fit,” said Girardin. “In actual production, we use a gray frame paint base, then apply decals and finish with a clear coating.”

Adobe Illustrator CS4 is available at an education discount price of $199.