The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Santini have launched a new collection of clothing and accessories featuring the rainbow bands of the UCI World Championships.
Designed and manufactured by the Italian brand Santini, the UCI’s official clothing partner, the items will be available from March 2021 exclusively in Decathlon shops in Italy, Belgium, Hungary and Switzerland as well as via Decathlon’s website. The shops will have a dedicated UCI-Santini corner.
The collection comprises a replica of the UCI world champion’s jersey, an ensemble including a black jersey, shorts and gilet, as well as a range of black and white accessories. The UCI says all items sport the symbolic rainbow stripes and stand out because of their quality, a hallmark of the Santini brand, and their very attractive prices.
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According to the UCI, the launch of the new collection and its sale in the Decathlon omnichannel will help make cycling more accessible to all, not only to experienced cyclists but also to the wider public, recreational cyclists and beginners.
This is in line with the UCI and Santini’s drive to increase the number of people cycling – whether for sport, leisure or transport: in 2019 the UCI launched its ‘Ride and Smile’ campaign to promote cycling for all.
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UCI President David Lappartient said: “The joint UCI-Santini initiative in partnership with Decathlon is a magnificent opportunity to take the popularity of our sport beyond its traditional public. The commercialisation of high-quality, attractive and well-priced articles in the rainbow colours, the global symbol of cycling, in a major shop specialising in multisport and leisure, will enable us to reach new categories of bike users. This is in line with our desire to promote cycling more widely as outlined in the UCI’s Agenda 2022 and underlying our 'Ride and Smile' campaign. ”
The CEO of Santini Cycling Wear Monica Santini said: “In line with its 'Ride and Smile' campaign, the UCI has chosen to associate with Decathlon to share its passion for cycling. We are delighted to participate in this initiative via the creation of a line of clothing exclusively designed for a major sports retailer. The UCI rainbow stripes will be the stars of the collection: they will appear on each item and will ensure the collection is both unique and aesthetically appealing in the eyes of established and future cyclists.”
Road cycling category manager for Decathlon Italy, Donato Favale, said: “The commercial partnership with Santini satisfies the dual ambition of Decathlon Italy: to put the greatest number of cycling enthusiasts on the saddle and to establish a collaboration that will allow us to fulfil our mission ‘Sport for the Many’. The product offer outlined with Santini and the UCI will be present in 75 per cent of physical Decathlon Italy stores and in 100 per cent of the online offer.
We don't have any UK pricing information as yet, but the items have already started to appear on Decathlon's Belgian website, with the 'triple crown' jersey retailing at €95 and the matching bib shorts €110.
Decathlon has told Cycling Weekly that the collection will be added to its UK website pending agreement of distribution terms.
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