Santini’s four official jerseys for the La Vuelta 19 champions have been unveiled today in Madrid. A further five special kits celebrating some of the iconic stages and locations on the route of the Spanish race were also presented at the event organised by Unipublic in collaboration with the Italian cycling wear company.
Santini and Unipublic chose the atmospheric backdrop of the Sala Equis cine-bar in the very heart of vibrant Madrid for today’s presentation of the four official leader jerseys for the 2019 edition of La Vuelta. An event that that celebrated the third year of the partnership between the Italian company and the Spanish road race which is also one of the milestone events on the UCI World Tour calendar. In addition to the leader jerseys, five Santini-designed kits dedicated to different highpoints of the Spanish race were also unveiled.
«We are genuinely proud to be dressing the La Vuelta champions for the third consecutive year – declared Santini marketing manager Paola Santini – and to us being part of this historic race is conformation of our constant commitment to professional cycling».
Designed and manufactured entirely in Santini Cycling Wear’s Bergamo premises, the four official jerseys for the 2019 edition are made from high tech fabrics: the Carrefour-sponsored Red Jersey that will be worn by the overall leader, the Škoda -sponsored Green Jersey that will be donned by the points leader, the Fenie Energia-sponsored White Jersey for the best young cyclist and the Loterías y Apuestas del Estado -sponsored Polka Dot Jersey for the King of the Mountain.
« After three years together, I can definitely say that our partnership with Santini is a win-win deal for all parties. It is a brand that keeps innovating and searching for new areas of improvement and that’s something fundamental for us. La Vuelta is the most innovative Grand Tour and our sponsors know that renovation is a key asset for being part of our race », explained Javier Guillén, La Vuelta’s General Manager.
In addition to the official jerseys, Santini has also designed and made five kits comprising jersey, bib shorts, socks, cap and gloves, which celebrate some of the most iconic stages and points along the route of the 74th La Vuelta: KM Cero, Costa Blanca, Los Machucos, Asturias and Toledo.
KM CERO
The KM Cero jersey is dedicated to Puerta del Sol, one the Spanish capital’s most famous and important squares. It has a blue background with a red and yellow central block of colour in homage to the Spanish flag. It also makes reference to the Belgian flag, homeland of the first winner of La Vuelta, Gustaaf Deloor.
COSTA BLANCA
The first three stages of La Vuelta 19 are on the Costa Blanca. The colours of this region, and those of the salt lakes and the sea in particular, are central to the design of the Santini kit celebrating it. The front of the jersey is adorned with 21 bars representing the 21 stages of the race. The first ones are highlighted in pink with a palm to symbolise the Costa Blanca’s signature tropical vegetation.
LOS MACHUCOS
The jersey dedicated to the 13th stage that will see the cyclists tackle the daunting Alto de Los Machucos climb, is blue and green, in a nod to the countryside of Cantabria, a region on Spain’s north coast. Los Machucos also presents the field with a grueling 28% gradient, a fact alluded to by the 28 on the 13th bar.
ASTURIAS
Asturias will host the 15th and 16th stages of La Vuelta 19. The yellow and blue of the region’s flag are thus used in the Santini kit celebrating these stages. The Victory Cross, which according to legend, was carried in the Battle of Covadonga against the Moors, by Pelagius, the first King of Asturias, adorns the front of the jersey and also appears on the shorts and accessories.
TOLEDO
Santini has also created a steel grey kit with vermillion details to celebrate Toledo, which hosts the finish line of the 19th stage. The vermillion is borrowed from the city’s historic coat of arms, while the steel grey references Toledo’s ancient tradition of sword making. In fact, the 19th bar on the front of the jersey also features a sword. The word Toledo is flanked by two wings in homage to the great Spanish cyclist Federico Bahamontes who was nicknamed the Toledo Eagle.
La Vuelta’s leader jerseys and the five special kits are available for purchase from the Santini Maglificio Sportivo site, the official La Vuelta store, Deporvillage and from select cycling stores worldwide.
Exclusively for the Deporvillage online store, Santini has also created two extra jerseys dedicated to Alicante and Madrid which can be purchased from Deporvillage site.
