After seven years of coloring the peloton in iconic pink jerseys, Rapha is leaving the WorldTour and its partnership with EF Pro Cycling.
“Lighter, faster and brighter than ever before,” the British clothing brand joined the team in 2019 with the aim of “bringing new excitement to professional racing.” 2019 was a moment of change as Rapha began designing kits that turned its legacy on its head. The British brand went from solid, premium gear to a fun product for EF.
“We will be seen from space,” Lawson Craddock said after seeing the team’s now-iconic bright pink jersey design.
103rd Giro d'Italia 2020 – team presentation
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The 2020 Giro d'Italia team presentation served as the runway for the launch of Rapha's first specialty jersey with EF. They had brought British skate brand Palace into the project to “create a team kit that is completely different to anything else that has existed in the peloton before.”
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With contrasting patterns and colors that blended against a geometric background, the jersey caused quite a stir – the team even had to pay CHF4,500 for wearing “non-compliant clothing during podium duties” and failing to register the new design within the 60-day rule. The unorthodox equipment also extended to helmets, goggles and bicycles, with riders wearing a helmet painted as a duck during the time trials.
104th Giro d'Italia 2021 – Stage 19
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After the madness of 2020, the team's gear was noticeably more muted in 2021 – although no less noticeable. Featuring color blocks with overlaid geometric shapes, the 'Euphoria' jersey is designed to celebrate international riders coming together to fight for a common goal.
“From Italy to the world: look for a splash of color in the first Grand Tour of 2021,” says Rapha’s press release.
The Giro also saw the launch of another of Rapha's latest designs – the TT Aerosuit, which claimed to save 12.4 watts at 55km/h compared to the previous team's suits.
33rd Giro d'Italia Women 2022 – Stage 10
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2022 not only brought new equipment for the team, but also a new name, as EF Education-Nippo moved to EF Education-EasyPost and women's team Tibco-SVB joined the EF Education stable.
Gear for the men's and women's Giri was muted, a departure from the bold design EF was known for. The pink has been replaced by a deep blue, with colored circles on the jersey.
“The new design, implemented through creative coding and image/pattern manipulation, is a modern interpretation of the Argyle pattern, which has been an integral part of EF's visual language for years,” said Rapha.
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2022 was also a big year for the Tour de France, as the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift took place for the first time. To mark the occasion, EF once again produced this fun jersey featuring Palace, which was also worn on the men's tour. Along with specially designed Cannondales, POC helmets and Crocs for wear away from cycling, the equipment caused quite a stir at the races.
106th Giro d'Italia 2023 – Stage 14
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The paneled design of the 2023 jersey is reminiscent of the Mondrian-inspired La Vie Claire jersey from 1984. It too was iconic in its simplicity, but Rapha's jersey was also unprecedented.
72% of the kit consisted of excess material. The jersey itself was made up of several different pieces of fabric, all individually dyed, with sponsor logos printed on them. The follow-up collection of fan gear sold after the race was made entirely from surplus material, but the pro gear, bound by rules prohibiting deviations from team equipment, could not be made entirely from surplus material.
107th Giro d'Italia 2024, stage 13
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If the 2020 Palace jersey was the best-selling jersey of all time, then this 2024 jersey marked perhaps EF Education's most understated year yet. Wearing a black jersey with EF Education hot pink ribbons, Rapha claimed that the jersey “celebrated the nation that is home to these beautiful, brutal races.”
But emblazoned on the jersey in pink and yellow were excerpts from Italian: Vai (Go), In Bocca al Lupo (Good Luck) and – these need no translation – PIZZA! PASTA! SCALA! FAST!
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There was to be one final special Giro jersey, the “white diamonds” for 2025. It had a white base with a diamond pattern and all pink logos. According to Rapha, the look was “created for EF Pro Cycling to shine brighter and fly faster on the world’s most beautiful grand tour.” It wasn't as loud as some previous designs, but it was pretty.
Rapha – thank you for the great time, we will miss your designs.
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