Named 'Euphoria', the Rapha-designed kit celebrates people from different backgrounds and nations coming together
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Rapha's new multi-colour kit for the Giro d'Italia(Image credit: Rapha)
The design, known as Euphoria, is a celebration of people from different backgrounds and nations coming together in pursuit of a common goal(Image credit: Rapha)
The design starts with a black base, and features blocks of colourful shapes throughout(Image credit: Rapha)
Many of the team's sponsor logos are given a new splash of colour, too(Image credit: Rapha)
The design isn't limited to clothing, the team's bikes are given the same 'Euphoria' design(Image credit: Rapha)
It extends to sunglasses, mitts, socks and even Whoop straps(Image credit: Rapha)
EF Education-Nippo have today unveiled their highly-anticipated Giro d'Italia switch-out kit with a design that, in the team's own words, features every colour but one.
The design is entitled 'Euphoria', and according to the team, is a celebration of people from different backgrounds and nations coming together in pursuit of a common goal.
The design uses black as the base and features blocks of colourful shapes across the front and rear of the jersey, with many of the team's sponsors' logos given a new colour, too. The iconic Rapha band remains on the left arm, and the helmet remains in the traditional pink, but the team's Whoop straps are also given a multi-colour finish, and riders' mitts, socks and POC sunglasses are given the 'Euphoria' treatment too.
Each year, EF Education-Nippo is forced to swap out their kit for the Italian grand tour, since the team's usual bright pink colourway is deemed too close a match to the race leader's maglia rosa. In 2020, the team collaborated with Palace Skateboards and transformed everything - from their kit, bikes and helmets to their team cars - into a chaotic canvas of graffiti and colour, including styling the team's radically-shaped POC Tempor time trial helmets to resemble ducks. The collaboration was immensely popular, with the limited run of jerseys later fetching more than £1,000 on eBay.
Like that 2020 design, the latest Euphoria design isn't limited to the clothing. It will also extend to the team's fleet of Cannondale bikes, which will consist of SuperSix EVO, SystemSix and SuperSlice time trial bikes. However, as the team's director Jonathan Vaughters revealed earlier this week, "No ducks though, sorry".
It’s not yet clear as to whether the UCI has formally approved the kit's use. Last year, the team received a fine from the governing body due to not submitting the design in time for the start of the race.
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The new Rapha TT Aerosuit (Image credit: Rapha)
Also from Rapha today is the unveiling of an all-new time trial aerosuit, to be worn by the team on the Giro d'Italia opening time trial. According to the British brand, it is its fastest ever TT suit, claimed to save 12.4 watts versus the outgoing package at 55km/h. Designed in the wind tunnel at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub, the Rapha TT Aerosuit is said to optimise for a combination of aerodynamics and energy expenditure by using compressive, lightweight materials in areas that don't require drag-reducing textures.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
