12 May 2021 – Paris, France: The UCI Track Champions League today announces its partnership with Italian brand Santini. As official kit supplier, Santini will provide a series of custom skinsuits for riders competing in the League, including leader’s jerseys. The deal also includes production of clothing for event staff with the rights to commercialize UCI Track Champions League merchandise.
This announcement comes just days before the official digital launch event for the UCI Track Champions League which is set to reveal even more details about the innovative new competition. Packing drama and action on the track into six rounds across six weeks, the new series follows a dynamic racing format – recently revealed – that looks to revolutionize the thrilling discipline of track cycling.
Santini Cycling Wear: Official Kit Supplier
Santini has a long history of developing world-class apparel ridden for pro riders. The Italian clothing manufacturer is the long-standing official partner of cycling’s worldwide governing body the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and has designed the UCI World Champion’s rainbow jerseys since 1994, as well as the UCI World Cup leader’s jerseys for all disciplines and categories.
Their garments are exclusively made in Italy, using in-house technology and materials research to create cycling garments that support maximum performance in the saddle and a ‘zero-distraction experience.’
Each of the 72 riders taking part in the UCI Track Champions League will be provided with a custom Santini Viper Z2 TT Speedsuit. These skinsuits will have a unique national themed design including the rider’s national flag and UCI Track Champions Logo branding. Each rider will keep the same race number throughout the competition and will have their own personal sponsors featured on the skinsuit. In addition, Santini will also provide the series’ four official champions jerseys, worn by the best male and female sprinters, and best female and male endurance athletes.
With riders selected to compete in the UCI Track Champions League in November based on results in the upcoming UCI Track World Championships in October, Santini will need to produce 170 individually personalized skinsuits from scratch in just three weeks at their Italian HQ.
François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, promoter of the UCI Track Champions League said: “To kit out a competition designed for champions, Santini was our obvious choice. They have been the official producer of UCI race wear since 1994 and have created winner’s jerseys for track events and UCI WorldTours alike. We were impressed with how Santini understood the demands cyclists place on their kit and how they are constantly innovating their products to meet these.”
“Our strength lies in our in-house production capacity in our HQ in Italy. I believe we have the skills and the production knowhow to satisfy the athletes’ requests quickly and in the most detailed way possible – said Monica Santini, CEO Santini Cycling Wear. With regards to the ambitious project of the UCI Track Champions League, we are dealing with a great challenge: to supply in only a few weeks the skinsuits, each one with individual design and sponsors, for the athletes who will take part in the various competitions. The leader skinsuits will be assigned week by week to the winners of each circuit stage. An important job that we will be able to do as the entire production process is in our headquarters in Bergamo, Italy”.
“Our mission with the UCI Track Champions League is to create a spectacular event, one that is visually impressive and brings the action on the track to life in a compelling way. Having our riders wear uniform skinsuits will play an important role in this. Including the national identity of the competitors on the skinsuits will also make it easier for fans to follow their favourite rider as they chase victory.” concluded François Ribeiro, Head of Eurosport Events, promoter of the UCI Track Champions League.
