Madison RoadRace Premio short sleeve jersey

Madison's RoadRace Premio jersey is designed for the Madison Genesis pro race team. With its close-cut fit and lightweight construction it's perfect for those hot summer day blasts or long climbs into the hills.

Madison says that the Premio is made from the finest Italian Lycra and it certainly does feel very good against the skin. It's soft and offers loads of stretch to maintain a figure-hugging shape without feeling overstretched; the jersey never feels tight or restrictive.

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This is a top that is designed for the rider who likes to spend most of their time hunched over the handlebar, as the front is cut high to avoid bagginess and the tail is dropped nice and low to stop any of your lower back being exposed.

The rear section is held in place by elastic and a silicone gripper and I certainly never had any issues with it riding up.

Sizing is good, even though when you do hold the jersey up it looks about two sizes smaller than it should be – highlighting the amount of stretch in the material.

Alongside the Lycra panels you get sections of mesh to keep the air flowing. The side panels, under the arms and a central strip down your back lets body heat escape. It's so effective that the jersey is actually quite cold until the temperature is knocking at least 18°C – unless you are really hammering it.

As you can guess, this means the Premio is highly breathable and it has to be seriously hot and muggy before it becomes overwhelmed.

It comes with a full zip that runs smoothly and it's good to see a zip garage at the neck and waist. I've had many expensive shorts ruined by the bottom of the jersey zip rubbing against them when riding in the drops.

Round the back you get three pockets which feel a bit narrower than usual but are impressively deep. The two outer ones are angled on the entrance, too, to aid getting your fingers in there on-the-fly, and thanks to some well-thought-out double stitching there is little in the way of sag across all of the pockets.

You also get a zipped outer pocket for your valuables, plus a couple of black reflective strips. They seem a bit of a token thought, to be honest, but then this isn't really a jersey you're likely to be using on a lot of night rides.

Priced at £74.99 the RoadRace Premio is competitive against other top quality jerseys, and although there is the odd stray thread end here and there on the inside, it is very well put together.

> Buyer's Guide: 15 of the best cycling jerseys for summer

This season we've already taken a look at the Castelli Superleggera, which, while a bit lighter and not so racy in design, is similar with regards to the temperature range. That costs £115, while the slightly cheaper £65 Primal Mai Tai does lack a few of the finishing touches of the Madison.

It comes in a variety of colours, not all as vibrant as this fuchsia, but it should help you stand out on the road – great if you want to be conspicuous without going down the high-vis route.

Verdict

Brilliant summer jersey for those who like to ride hard in the heat