Sir Bradley Wiggins will ride the UCI Hour record in London in June. The venue was announced in a press release from Rapha revealing details of a global joint venture that will initially see the London-based cycling clothing firm supply the kit for the team being launched by the four-time Olympic champion.
Since 2013, Rapha has supplied Team Sky’s kit, and the 2012 Tour de France winner will ride his final race for them at Paris-Roubaix in April before joining Team Wiggins as he begins his preparations for Rio 2016 where he is aiming to ride the team pursuit.
While the team’s roster is exclusively British, according to a press release from Rapha, both parties “share a desire to transform the sport globally by engaging and inspiring more young riders and searching for the next generation of racers around the world.”
The company adds that over the next three years, it will be expanded into a wider clothing rangeand that the kit will be on sale to the public ahead of Wiggins’ planned attempt on the UCI Hour record this summer. More information is available on the Rapha website.
“I’ve got to know the Rapha team well over the last few years at Team Sky; they’re serious about design and they love cycling almost as much as I do,” said Wiggins.
“I want a range of kit that looks great but is also functionally practical for today’s cyclist in all their different shapes and sizes, and I know Simon and the team at Rapha will do the business.”
Simon Mottram, founder and chief executive of Rapha, said: “Sir Bradley Wiggins is one of the very few cyclists who transcend the sport.
“He combines world-leading performances on the road and track with a love of the culture and history of cycling and the charisma to inspire cyclists, fans and the general public.
“It’s flattering and extremely exciting to be working with him.”
There's an explanation about the background to the kit on the Rapha website.
Using the rich heritage of British cycling, and taking inspiration from Sir Bradley’s global ambitions for the sport, Rapha is proud to have designed the WIGGINS identity and the kit that the WIGGINS team will wear in competition.
Taking design inspiration from road racers like Tom Simpson and Robert Millar, and also other British cultural icons Bobby Moore and The Who, both logo and jersey represent the style, heritage and dynamism of the British pioneer.
As a number of people have pointed out on social media, including Justin Belcher in a comment on road.cc's Facebook page, the kit also has a strong similarity to the one sported by Great Britain during the 1980s.
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55 comments
Christ i'm ashamed to read some of these comments....
it's quite clear that whatever venue / brand he picked he would have got 'pelters' from the cycling community which is ridiculous...
the guys trying to make history, let's get behind him rather than give him a kicking - I'm also a Chelsea fan and I tought the chelsea forums were the preserve of the sad and bitter keyboard warriors but clearly not
if you don't like Rapha, don't buy it but please no more tantrums
Good Luck BW
Which ones in particular? I'm intrigued.
Pelters? What an awful word.
Who is 'giving him a kicking'?
Who has had a tantrum?
Am I gettign it wrong or missing some of the comments here or are people just reading what they want to read?
Herne Hill in the rain Ah yes or at the concrete tracks of Welwyn Garden City or Harlow ! Are they still there ? Or have they gone the way of Paddington et al ? Still have the scars of many a fall on those unforgiving swines .
Showing your age there, in more ways than one. Harlow was that rare beast, an outdoor wooden track (although I think it was wooden boards over banked concrete). It was only about 200m round and, at the time, I think it was the steepest track in Europe; bit like riding the Wall of Death!
He should do it on grass, at the Highland games, in a vest, like a real man, you know that bloke on the porridge box.
That's how chris hoy would do it. (Possibly)
I'm basically rambling along; this is the digital equivalent of talking to myself
...and anyone in the UK who has followed cycling from a time when UK riders were not so prominent will understand that traditional cycling fans didn't choose riders to admire based on nationality. This is a peculiarly British trait and one which exposes the immature nature of cycling fandom here, with echoes of the nationalism that characterises football and other, equally less intellectual pursuits...
I was speaking in a wider sense about the use of nationality, but notice up the thread:
The birthplace of Sir Wiggo is absent...
Ah, ok, see what you mean. All fairly pointless but that is a wee difference, although sod all to do with nationality (which is, as you say, pretty pointless in itself).
It is, but is still seized upon by ...new followers... of cycling as an easy hook upon which to hang their colours...
So what was the post regarding nationality and where someone was born about then ? Even more confused than I was..
Hmmm. The whole 'actually born in Belgium' thing often escapes people who like to think of him as the quintessential British champ modfather...
Meh. The hour record has been so rare over the years because it's so bloody boring...
What, like Froome the Kenyan, or Dan Martin the midlander, Nicholas Roche the frenchman, David Millar the Maltese, etc. The whole nationality thing is in some ways an anachronism from another era.
Always thought he was born in Belgium. Wasn't Ghent velodrome free for an hour or two this summer ?
I bet he eats butter pies from the bakery in Orrell cheeks southern git, go back to you jelly eels! Local pies for local people
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Funny how many people are having a pop at Wiggins, brought up in London, not riding in Manchester ... but were strangely quiet when Sarah Storey, born and raised there (and a huge United fan), chose London too. Just saying
I can't speak for anyone else but I wasn't actually having a go at Wiggins but I'm bored of chasing my tail with that one.
As for Sarah Storey's attempt? I just have no real interest in watching it.
She's a fantastic athlete so I wish her all the best, I have nothing against her and I overall I do enjoy women's cycling but I just have nothing but ambivalence at the minute for her attempt. That may change nearer the time but I doubt it.
I was excited for Jens' attempt, I was excited for Jack Bobridge's attempt, couldn't really be bothered with Brandle's, I'll be excited for Wiggins' and Fabian's attempts, I have no explanation for it.
I for one voiced my disappointment (not anger) at Storey doing it in London via the medium of twitter. I was very polite though because she is lovely. Unlike that nasty cockney wideboy Wiggins with his airs and graces. Coming up here. Stealing our women. Watching our rugby. Drinking our Vimto. Sucking our Uncle Joes Mintballs. And what not.
I hoped for Manchester and Altura. Instead I get London and Rapha.
Inspire a new generation? How? Seems to be aimed at the same old same old southern, wealthy, IT working, male, Mamils. Who drink Pims. And shandy.
Don't be silly - no-one hopes for Altura....
Oi! I resemble that remark. Apart from the Pimms and shandy, obviously; we drink "craft beer" these days.
He couldn't do it at HHV by the way, no roof.
Is there a Herne Hill Hour record? and who has it? I am definitely HHV positive.
And whats wrong with a nice Pimms? Aldi do a version called Austins. Very drinkable in the summer, have a look for it the next time you are looking for another loominus jacket. Personally I go to Aldi to buy food not cycling clobber. I must be a northern snob.
Just got back. Yet to have made it out of the cold meat section unencumbered....
lol of course! Now ammended based upon my last trip to London:
I hoped for Manchester and Altura. Instead I get London and Rapha.
Inspire a new generation? How? Seems to be aimed at the same old same old southern, wealthy, IT working, male, Mamils. Who drink craft beer. And drip* coffee.
(*known as 'filter' by the rest of us)
Why would that stop an hour attempt?
I realise the roof makes a difference and any serious attempt would be indoors - my suggestion of HHV was ironic.
But I'm just interested as to whether there is now a rule. Merckx's record in Mexico was outdoors.
I was pretty sure that the "new" rules state that the Hour must be set on an indoor velodrome. However, Dekker's planning on using Aguascalientes - it has a roof but open walls...
If he really cared about the history of the sport and where he came from he'd do it at Herne Hill Velodrome... in the rain.
If he was lucky they'd let him have a slot on the Good Friday programme, but early in the day before anyone arrives.
Obviously that would all be subject to approval by road.cc commenters, who after all have a far better appreciation and have contributed much more to the sport than that pretentious twat.
A Rapha article where no one is complaining about prices?
road.cc has changed.
Because the link is broken and no one can tell the jersey costs £230.
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