Santini Cycling Wear and UCI Track Champions League partnered up last year for a brand new racing series involving 72 of the world’s top track cyclists and a uniquely spectacular format. The result? In two weeks flat, Santini printed and made dozens of speedsuits custom-tailored for each of the cyclists!
Santini is once again partner of the UCI Track Champions League and it encompasses this second edition which gets underway on November 12th at the Velodrome on the glorious island of Majorca. The action-packed adrenaline-fuelled format will feature 72 cyclists, split equally between men and women, doing battle over five rounds, the last of which takes place in London on December 3rd.
To create a more dramatic visual and maximise the event’s impact and appeal, all of the competitors will be wearing the same kit. And this is where Santini comes in. the Italian cycling wear company was asked to supply customised speedsuits for the competitors taking part in the League as well as the classification leader jerseys. This means that each of the 72 cyclists taking part in the UCI Track Champions League will receive a customised Santini Viper Z2 TT speedsuit. The design of each one will be inspired by the wearer’s nationality, including their nation’s flag, and the UCI Track Champions League logo. Santini will also be supplying the four official leader jerseys for the top speed specialists and the best endurance athletes, men’s and women’s.
The League isn’t just a massive commitment for the cyclists but also demands huge effort on an organisational level, starting with the supply of the cycling wear in the same quantities as last year: Santini made 170 suits featuring national designs and customised to fit each of the athletes in just two weeks. The women’s speedsuits for the races are in XS and S, while the men’s come in M, L and XL. All were made entirely at Santini’s new headquarters in Bergamo.
«The production timescale for these suits depends on the qualifiers so it is much tighter than normal technical times – explained Paola Santini, Marketing Manager at Santini Cycling Wear – From the moment we get the word on the sizes from the League, we had just two weeks to actually make them and then a few days to deliver the kits directly to the Velodrome hosting the first round».
So, once again this year, the deadlines are incredibly tight but thanks to Santini’s completely in-house production at its Bergamo base (in Italy), it had direct and precise control of the entire process and its timelines. Ensuring it can guarantee delivery of the suits for the first round at the Velodrome on the island of Majorca on Saturday.
