Shayne Bannan posses in front of the Greenedge Cycling van. (Image credit: Mark Gunter)
GreenEdge Cycling has announced that Italian manufacturer, Santini, will clothe the Australian team for three years, continuing the partnership with Australian cycling that dates back to 2003.
But as much as the partnership with Santini is a coup for GreenEdge, it's further endorsement of the progress that has been made by Australian cyclists.
Pietro Santini, the owner and founder of Santini, says, "We have witnessed with incredible admiration the work that Australia has done in cycling."
"In the past 10-to-15 years Australia has produced many incredible athletes and many more young riders that have the talent to be real champions.
"For a good part of these years we have partnered Australian cycling through the national team and we know what they can achieve and we've found the same focus, dedication and commitment in the GreenEdge team."
For Shayne Bannan, GreenEdge General Manager, the quality of the clothes Santini will supply to the team is the key to the partnership.
"Our riders can spend more than seven hours in their cycling apparel in the big races so being comfortable is critical," he said.
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"Santini has spent 45-years making cycling clothing for professional teams all over the world but continue to invest heavily in research and development, which will ensure our riders have the best clothing in the peloton.
"Another important consideration for us is that Santini is made in Italy. With our base in Varese, Italy, this gives us great flexibility to work with them in order to meet our needs to develop the right garments."
This announcement comes just weeks after GreenEdge confirmed a multi-million dollar, three-year; deal with high performance bicycle and accessories brand Scott Sports.
According to Santini, the rationale behind this foreign support of GreenEdge cycling is because of the team's global appeal.
"Although we're an Italian company our products are sold everywhere in the world. Our image and our vision are international and we need an international team to act as a vessel to communicate our values," Santini said.
If successful in its bid to join the UCI WorldTour, GreenEdge will mark history by becoming the first Australian team to do so.
