After announcing a partnership with ASO last week, Castelli finally revealed the jerseys the top riders will race in at the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for the next few years.
Both races are among the host of events for which the Italian company will provide leaders’ jerseys, the list also including the Vuelta a España, Vuelta Femenina, Paris-Nice and the Tour Auverge-Rhône Alpes.
However, the overall leader’s yellow jersey is the most iconic of all jerseys in our sport and it is the Tour de France which attracts most exposure for Castelli.
"For any cycling apparel brand, producing the Maillot Jaune represents the highest possible honor," said Castelli's Global Brand Manage, Steve Smith. "We wanted these jerseys to be truly special, which is why every micro-detail stems from our deep reverence for what they represent to the sport and the riders who earn them. Beyond pushing performance and aerodynamics, every single feature was crafted to honor that legacy.”
The colours of the jerseys are sacrosanct, and we’ll see no change from recent years, so there’s little room for radical new designs, but Castelli has added some neat little details to each of the jerseys which may make those riders wearing them feel a little more special - if that’s possible.
There’s Tour de France branding on each of the jerseys' zip pulls, which are hexagonal in a nod to France’s nickname, l’Hexagone, and when you open the zip of the yellow jersey, which Castelli say is more vibrant in colour, it reveals a red and blue trim which combines with the white zipper to form France’s tricolore flag.
While the red and white Castelli logo is visible on all the jerseys, the chance to incorporate it into the polka-dots of the mountain classification jersey was too good to miss, and adds a touch of class, as do the mountainous profiles on grip strips on the inside hem of the entire range.
The white, young rider’s jersey has undergone the most radical reform, with what they’re calling ultraviolet flashes added to the collar, sleeves and hemline to match the jersey’s new sponsor, Sanofi.
"This is not the first time Castelli and A.S.O. have joined forces around the Tour de France," Smith continued. "We previously produced the leaders' jerseys from 1989 to 1994, worn to historic victories by champions such as Greg LeMond and Miguel Indurain.
"Having supplied leader jerseys during that iconic era, returning to the Tour de France feels like a real homecoming. We are incredibly proud of our heritage in the race, but even more excited to shape its future by outfitting the next generation of champions with garments that push the boundaries of speed, comfort, and style."
Castelli will be providing jersey to a host of other ASO races, and while some, like Paris-Nice will be almost identical to those of the Tour, those of the Vuelta a España and Vuelta Femenina will be different and revealed at a later date.
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