The city of Nîmes plays host on August 19th to the start of La Vuelta 2017 and dressing the classifications leaders will be Santini Cycling Wear. The Italian company founded in 1965 is now an iconic brand in road cycling. The 60-day countdown to the start of the 72nd edition of La Vuelta began with its official presentation this morning in Madrid.
The event also served to present ex-cyclist Óscar Pereiro as Ambassador of La Vuelta 2017. He faces this challenge “eagerly, enthusiastically and optimistically”. The 2006 Tour de France winner has made his debut endorsing the new design of the race’s jersey.
FOUR LEADER JERSEYS
There are four official leader jerseys for the 2017 edition, all designed and manufactured entirely in Santini Cycling Wear’s historic headquarters in Lallio, Northern Italy. The Bodyfit technical fabric has been selected for the sleeves and back of the jerseys because of its ultra-comfortable ‘second skin’ effect which guarantees a perfect fit. Santini’s designers chose extra-light Rudy fabric, also made by Sitip, for the front because of the exceptional breathability it delivers wearers. Lastly, there is no elastic gripper on the sleeve cuffs and the zip is invisible.
The jerseys are the very pinnacle of the Bergamo company’s experience and skill in terms of cut and manufacture to ensure they meet the needs of both the professional cyclists that will be wearing them throughout the race and amateur riders who can also purchase them. All of Santini’s La Vuelta jerseys have an exceptionally aerodynamic fit as well as combining comfort, performance and breathability. The latter factor in particular is especially important as temperatures will soar to well over 30 degrees at certain points in the event. Exclusively for La Vuelta, Santini will, in fact, also be making the jerseys from Sesia micromesh for the very hot days. This incredibly light fabric weights just 95gr./m2 and is exceptionally breathable.
“These jerseys have allowed us to make a real leap forward as the Vuelta brand and the partnership with a company like Santini, which is synonymous with cycling, guarantees the jerseys will be top quality. It also allows us to open the doors to retailing to the public which can purchase them and show them off wherever they go” declared Javier Guillén, Managing Director of Unipublic, which organises and stages La Vuelta.
600 SANTINI JERSEYS FOR LA VUELTA
Obviously, the most important of the jerseys is the Carrefour-sponsored Red Jersey for the race leader. This is flanked by the Loterias-sponsored Polka Dot Jersey for the best climber in the King of the Mountains classification, the Skoda-sponsored Green Jersey for the leader of the points competition, and, last but very far from least, the Fertiberia-sponsored White Jersey for leader of the combination category (best combined total points in the other three classifications).
« We are very excited about our partnership with La Vuelta in a nation with such a strong cycling tradition and which shares cycling history with our company », commented Santini CEO Monica Santini. “We are also convinced that our experience as official suppliers to leading international and UCI stage races means we can provide the organisers with very punctual specialist support »
The Bergamo factory is hard at work to make 600-plus jerseys to dress the leaders of the four La Vuelta classifications at the end of each and every one of the race’s 21 stages: “It is an extremely comprehensive commission spanning everything from jerseys to skinsuits for the time trials, all in a variety of different sizes “ - concluded Monica Santini.
LA VUELTA RETAIL
In collaboration with La Vuelta, Santini is flanking the jersey collection with six full kits comprising jerseys, bib shorts, socks, hat and gloves celebrating six high-profile stages of the 2017 edition of the race: Asturias, La Rioja, Nîmes, Granada, Madrid (KM Cero) and Alto de l’Angliru (El Infierno). The jerseys worn by the La Vuelta leaders can be purchased online from the Santini Maglificio Sportivo website (www.santinisms.it), the official La Vuelta store, DeporVillage (www.deporvillage.com), and from select cycling stores worldwide.
