Santini confirmed as official supplier of Tour Down Under leader jerseys
The organisers of the Tour Down Under, which starts on January 17 in Australia, have renewed their partnership with Santini Cycling Wear which will continue as official supplier of the event’s leader jerseys
The Lallio-based company is celebrating its association with first round of the World Tour, with three full kits, each referencing one of the three highlight stages in the race and aimed at Australia’s growing cycling community.
Santini Cycling Wear is to partner the Tour Down Under once again in 2017. The Australian stage event’s reputation has grown considerably in recent seasons and it has been the first event on the international UCI World Tour calendar since 2008. The Tour Down Under is staged in and around Adelaide and is used as a season-opening testing ground by the cycling greats to hone to their condition for the first spring classics.
The 19th edition of the race, which takes place between January 17 and 22 2017, will see Santini return to the podium once again. The Bergamo-based cycling wear company is technical partner to the Santos Tour Down Under, supplying the three official race jerseys: the ochre Leader, the polka-dot King of the Mountain and the red Sprint.
Aside from the three jerseys, however, Santini has also put together a collection of kits to celebrate the race. Each one is dedicated to a different highlight stage of the 2017 Tour Down Under and comprises a cap, jersey, shorts and socks (all coordinated, of course).
The three kit jerseys all feature the TDU acronym but their designs are customised to reference the different stages they represent: Adelaide, Glenelg and McLaren Vale. The stage names take pride of place, of course. The three jerseys also feature individual designs at the back of their necks inspired by signature features from their stage. The same applies to the three caps which have the race logo on their right side and the name of the stage they represent on the left.
Specifically, the background pattern on the Adelaide jersey, dedicated to the city that hosts the final stage, is designed to resemble the city’s rolling hills with the area’s climbs on the back. Once again the colours chosen (a clever chiaro-scuro contrast against a lime green background) reference the gentle hills of the Adelaide hinterland. The “A” form motif at the back of the neck contains a hill design encircled by 6 cog wheels inspired by the Commonwealth Star and Southern Constellation of the Australian national flag.
Glenelg, which hosts the start of the third stage, is a historic coastal suburb of Adelaide about half an hour’s ride from the city centre on the legendary Glenelg Tram. Santini celebrates the majesty of the ocean it overlooks with a pastel aquamarine colour palette and a wave-like motif. The “G” logo at the back of the neck is inspired by the “old gum tree”, now a national monument, beneath which the proclamation declaring South Australia a Province was enacted on December 28 1836.
Nestling between the gentle slopes of the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Gulf St Vincent beaches, McLaren Vale is less than an hour from Adelaide and plays host to the fifth and penultimate stage which could prove pivotal to the final classification. The area is renowned for its excellent wine and is home to some of the oldest vineyards in the world. This heritage is acknowledged by Santini with an elegant repeated wine bottle motif and the choice of a deep red and burgundy colour palette.
The partnership between Santos Tour Down Under and Santini Cycling Wear has endured for 11 years, proof positive of the Bergamo company’s faith in the potential of Australian cycling. Santini has been flanking the Australian national teams in all the various specialities for many years now too. Cycling may still be an emerging sport in Australia but the number of athletes involved is growing year on year with Santini playing a very active role in the fostering the sport there.
About Sanitini
Santini Maglificio Sportivo was founded in 1965 by Pietro Santini who spotted a market for technical cycling clothing as a result of his abiding passion for the sport and competition. In what would seem like a revolutionary and contrarian choice today, the Bergamo-based company made the pivotal decision to design and manufacture all of its products exclusively in Italy. Each and every item of Santini apparel is designed and developed by a team of designers with a deep-rooted passion for the world of cycling and in line with the company’s “Made in Italy, Made with Passion” philosophy.
Santini currently produces 3,000 items of clothing per day and exports 80% of its output. It is deeply committed to ongoing investment in researching and developing innovative textiles and new production methods. However, people – athletes - remain its central focus as it continues to refine its creations to allow cyclists pursue their sporting passions in comfortable but inimitably stylish kit - www.santinisms.it
