Team Sky will race and train in Castelli clothing beginning in 2017. Team Sky, which has won four of the past five editions of the Tour de France, will be the only WorldTour team wearing clothing by the Castelli brand. The apparel specialist adds that it has ‘over 40 years of being first to bring performance innovations to pro cycling such as Lycra shorts, aero jerseys and the Gabba jersey that have become indispensable for every pro cyclist’.
“We’re really excited to be able to announce this partnership between Team Sky and Castelli,” said Team Principal Sir Dave Brailsford. “They will be more than a kit supplier; they will be an innovation partner. Castelli has a long history of breaking new ground when it comes to kit and design. We will continue to push hard to make sure our riders have the best clothing and equipment, and we’re already excited about some of the ideas Castelli are working on with us.”
For Castelli the performance goals of the team are seen as a natural fit. “Castelli and Team Sky share the same drive for results-driven innovation in everything we do,” said Andrea Peron, Castelli’s Race Performance Director.
“Team Sky has a structure and the resources to help us to continuously give our athletes a performance advantage. Whether it’s aerodynamics, foul weather protection or solutions that let the riders train more comfortably, we’re looking at every opportunity for an advantage.”
“Team Sky’s relentless pursuit of results means that they expect the maximum from their technical partners. We’re looking forward to being pushed,” added Steve Smith, Castelli Brand Manager. “But the Team Sky internal performance group will be an invaluable resource to help us make sure that every rider has an advantage every time he’s on the bike.”
The 2017 jersey design brings a sort of British-Italian fusion. Designed by Richard Pearce, the graphic celebrates the victories in Team Sky’s first 7 seasons. The classic Breton shirt served as inspiration but has been reimagined in a data pattern with each stripe on the jersey, short, mitts, socks and cap representing a specific Team Sky victory. The longest lines are the 4 Tour de France victories, with Chris Froome’s 2016 victory immediately below the Sky logo on the chest.
The short dashes aim to represent one-day races, while the medium-length lines represent multiday stage races, with the number of stages determining the length of the line. WorldTour races are blue lines, while non-WorldTour races are white. Perhaps most significantly, the gaps represent the ambition for future victories. The front of the jersey is made up of victories by 2017 team members, with the exception of Sir Bradley Wiggins’ 2012 Tour win, which has a special place in Team Sky history.
“We spent a lot of time thinking about our new kit and what we wanted it to represent visually,” said Brailsford, who was instrumental in defining the data pattern. “We wanted to find a way of celebrating the success we have had as a team, but also to make sure we keep our mind firmly on the future. As a team we still have an enormous amount of goals we want to achieve and, through the design of our new kit, those will always be at the forefront of our thinking.”
Beginning in January many of the same products used by Team Sky will be available at local cycling retailers.
Team Sky will have exclusive access to Castelli’s aerodynamic race clothing and the Perfetto family of clothing for cold and wet conditions. The partnership will already involve 15 innovative performance products at the beginning of the season, including the brand new Idro Pro ultra compact GoreTex jacket for racing and training in extreme conditions.
Each athlete will receive 64 different on-bike products as well as ‘training in how to dress like a pro’.
www.castelli-cycling.com
www.teamsky.com
