At the end of last year Aston Martin announced that it would become the official partner of the ONE PRO Cycling team in 2018. This exciting partnership is now gathering pace with the unveiling of the British team’s stylish new kit, which has been created by the Aston Martin design department in conjunction with Italian cycling clothing brand, Nalini. The squad will also be riding for the first time, Aston Martin-branded Storck bicycles.
ONE PRO Cycling is an ambitious professional cycling team founded by former England cricketer, Matt Prior in 2014. It has very similar values to Aston Martin’s own race team, Aston Martin Racing, when it comes to competition and fan engagement, making it a perfect fit for a partnership.
The kit that the team will wear during its 2018 races has a striking asymmetric design integrating the ONE PRO Cycling corporate colors. With a strong slanting diagonal split between the white upper half and the darker lower half of the jerseys, the design is not only bold but also functional as it will make each rider easy to spot in a peloton
In the center of the darker section on the front of the jersey and the white section on the back, sits the iconic winged Aston Martin logo. The lower half of the jersey has a stylishly graduated transition in colour from a mid to dark blue.
Manufactured by Nalini, the new kit comprises over 25 different pieces of clothing to cater for every possible climatic condition. It includes base layers, gloves, rain jackets and the special all-in-one TT speed suits worn in time trials and sprint stages. For practical reasons, most of the training and inclement weather clothing forgoes the lighter colours of the race kit and is instead designed using only the darker blue hue.
Italian brand Nalini is part of MOA Sport which has over 40 years of experience producing high end clothing for professional cyclists and many of the world’s best teams. Something that owner Claudio Mantovani is particularly proud of is that the factory in Italy supervises the entire production process from beginning to end.
Matt Prior, CEO of ONE PRO Cycling said: “We are delighted with the sophisticated and stylish look of the new 2018 kit. The quality and attention to detail in every garment is fantastic and it is tremendous to have the famous Aston Martin logo center stage on the design.”
In another exciting move, the Aston Martin name will be appearing not only on the riders’ clothing but also the bikes they are riding. Aston Martin recently collaborated with the Storck bicycle company to produce a limited run of bicycles called the Storck Fascenario.3 Aston Martin Edition and the same Fascenario.3 frame and forks will now be mated with Shimano Dura Ace and FSA components to form the bikes of the ONE PRO Cycling team in road races. In time trials the riders will use Storck’s Aero 2 frames, also with Dura Ace and FSA components.
German manufacturer Storck has won numerous awards for its bicycles over the last 20 years and is an established brand within pro pelotons. Markus Storck the eponymous founder and driving force behind the company is an Aston Martin aficionado and designed the limited edition One of Seven Vanquish.
Ensuring that ONE PRO Cycling is the most stylish team in the support convoy at races as well as in the peloton, the team will use an Aston Martin DB11 as one of its support cars. The car will be specially fitted out with the radios and equipment needed to stay in touch with the riders and assist them when required. The DB11 will no doubt be a much-envied asset among the other teams. Its exceptional levels of comfort will be appreciated on the long days following the races, while the car’s precision and speed will be of great benefit to the drivers who have to operate with total confidence in extremely close proximity to both the riders and other vehicles in the convoy.
Aston Martin Global Marketing Director, Marcus Blake, said: “We’re delighted that our new partnership with ONE PRO Cycling is already proving so fruitful. With the new kit, bicycles and cars it looks like an exciting season ahead for both brands.”
ONE PRO Cycling will begin its 2018 competitive season with races in Slovenia and Croatia before returning to the UK later in the spring. At the beginning of May, just as the Aston Martin Racing team and its new Vantage GTE car is tackling its first race of the year at the Spa 24hrs, the ONE PRO cycling team will be battling the best in the world at the Tour de Yorkshire.
Over the rest of the summer the team will be competing in the prestigious UK Tour Series, ensuring fans can see the team racing in cities all over the country. The squad will also travel to Italy, France, Belgium and Poland for races before it gears up for its big goal for the season in September – the Tour of Britain.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
