To celebrate the 2024 Tour de France Grand Départ in Italy, Santini unveiled a new collection at this year’s Italian Bike Festival in Misano Adriatico, showcasing a special edition jersey, bib short, base layer, gloves, cap and socks that give a nod to the French Grand Tour as it passes through the historic regions of Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont, marrying two nations steeped in cycling.
“The design of this outfit illustrates the closeness between France and Italy, united around this Grand Départ, with 3 stages drawn entirely on the Italian mainland: Florence – Rimini on 29 June; Cesenatico – Bologna on 30 June; Piacenza – Turin on 1 July,” says Santini.
“The starting point for designing the Grand Départ jersey was the Tour’s iconic logo and, more specifically, the yellow circle it features, which resembles a bicycle wheel,” adds Fergus Niland, Santini’s Creative Director. “Alongside this distinctive graphic element, we have placed other rounded shapes bearing the colours of the French and Italian flags, arranged in a circular pattern.”
The front and back of the jersey will feature a multicolored circular design, along with other graphic elements the are emblematic of the Tour such as 111, which marks the 111th edition of the Grande Boucle. Ditto for the bib short and accessories, which will also deployed the same yellow background and embellishments, as well as the names of the six Italian host cities.
From a technical point of view, the jersey offers a classic fit and features a combination of lightweight, breathable fabrics and raw-cut sleeves. The matching base layer is sleeveless, with an elongated cut, while the bib shorts are made of medium compression fabric, featuring breathable mesh braces and grippers at the hem to ensure the shorts stay in place. The GITevo chamois contains a gel core to absorb shocks gradually and guarantee maximum comfort during long rides.
The Grand Départ kit will be available at www.santinicycling.com from late November 2023
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