PRESENTING THE NEW CYCLING AUSTRALIA OFFICIAL TEAM KIT BY SANTINI
The new Australian national team kit was unveiled today at a special event staged in Hong Kong to coincide with the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
The new Australian national team kit was unveiled today at a special event staged in Hong Kong to coincide with the 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Designed and made Santini, the kit was donned for the first time by the Australian track cyclists during the presentation organised by the Italian brand and Cycling Australia. The time trial, road and track skin suits designed and made for the team were also premiered at the same event.
Santini has been flanking the Australian national cycling team since 2001, the year the brand also became the exclusive partner of the Australian cycling association, Cycling Australia, and became official technical clothing supplier to the team.
“It’s been a shared journey that is enriched every year by new ideas to help us develop innovative top-of-the-range products created exclusively for the elite Australian athletes,” commented Santini Cycling Wear marketing manager Paola Santini. "High-performance products that meet the team’s needs, just like the garments we are presenting today”.
As one of Cycling Australia’s longest partners, Santini always provided the team with the highest quality clothing and have lead the industry with their cutting edge fabrics and designs. We’ve always found that their range meets and exceed the team’s needs and help provide us with a winning edge” said Cycling Australia CEO, Nicholas Green OAM. “We are excited to share the next chapter in Australian cycling with Santini and are looking forward to seeing the new uniforms on the new Hong Kong velodrome”. The kit the Australian national cycling team will be wearing in 2017 was designed by Fergus Niland, Santini’s Chief Designer, who created a look that mirrors the team’s existing visual identity but also brings some intriguing new details to the mix. The yellow and green team colours feature as ever but are now stronger and brighter. Yellow is used for the inside and outer edge of the jersey’s collar and is also combined with green in the central triple horizontal stripe as well as on the right-hand sleeve. The word AUSTRALIA is emblazoned on the right breast above the triple stripe with the first three letters (AUS) in darker black for emphasis. The seven-pointed Commonwealth star that appears on the Australian flag also features prominently on the jersey. The left-hand sleeve sports one star, while three smaller stars decorate the nape. The team’s black bib shorts also feature the triple green-yellow-green stripe and the word AUSTRALIA split over three lines on the left thigh.
From a technical perspective, the jersey has a sleek aerodynamic cut and is made from the same fabrics as the Giro d’Italia’s Pink Jersey. The front, collar, sides and back pockets are in light, breathable Rudy fabric while the back sections and sleeves are made from Bodyfit which guarantees a superb fit. The sleeves are also raw cut to further improve comfort and the long zipper is almost invisible. The jersey also has a stand-up collar, while elastic around the bottom hem holds it gently but firmly in place, preventing it riding up.
The bibshorts are made from New Monica, an innovative fabric which, thanks silicone grippers extending over the entire side of the leg, create a “tattoo” effect, hugging the skin brilliantly without feeling tight or restricting movement. The bib shorts are raw cut with seams reduced to an absolute minimum too. There is also no elastic at the end of the legs to feel tight or uncomfortable. The braces are made from Stripes, a light comfortable elastic material that stretches effortlessly as the body moves to guarantee a superb fit to even the tallest cyclists. The exceptionally comfortable NAT chamois has an ice-effect NEXT gel core to keep the rider cool while raised cylinders on the upper section of the gel core also have a micromassaging action to boost circulation.
The kit aside, Santini Cycling Wear also supplies a range of other apparel to the Australian team including Time Trial, road and track skinsuits as well as specific accessories such as special aerodynamic socks. Australian team replica kits will be available online from the Santini website (www.santinicycling.com) and select cycling stores worldwide from summer 2017.
Credit Casey B Gibson