Wilier drops 'The Grip,' a killer new elite gravel team, led by Mattia De Marchi

Okay, the new racing season is officially underway, and the pro-peloton has been busy showing off their new 2026 kits, plus all the latest rider signings and sponsors. We've seen a ton of new gear, and even though our poll on who has the best pro cycling kit for 2026 closed on Friday with the Pinarello-Q36.5 kit taking nearly a third of the votes, I honestly think the best kit was still to come, and it's not even from a Pro-Tour team.

I know, technically 'The Grip' elite gravel team doesn't meet the road or professional team requirements to be in the poll, but come on—is this not the absolute best team kit of the season? I think so, hands down.

The team is a collaboration between ex-pro Italian road rider Mattia De Marchi and Wilier. Their main goal is to compete at the highest level while staying true to "preserving the culture, aesthetics, and storytelling of gravel."

When it comes to those aesthetics, they have absolutely nailed the brief.

Joining De Marchi are Eddy Le Huitouze, a U23 French rider who moved to off-road racing after a stint with Groupama-FDJ on the WorldTour, and Belgian Jordy Bouts, who previously rode for TdT-Unibet.

They'll be riding the Rave SLR ID2, featuring a special 'The Grip' livery. It looks like a wicked tribute to the design and imagery of the 1990s and 2000s.

At the launch, Mattia De Marchi was excited, saying, “The identity of The Grip and the way Wilier interprets gravel are what convinced me. It’s a new project with a clear direction and a bike designed for modern gravel. Having an active role in the team's development makes this challenge even more exciting.”

While the big-name road teams usually set the standard for new kit designs, you can't ignore a team that drops something like this. With a team font that screams Cypress Hill circa 1998 plastered on the riders' chests and a bike paint job straight off an old rave flyer, if your team kit is anything less this season, I'm just not interested.

It certainly helps that Wilier is already known for making some of the sharpest-looking bikes in the peloton, as discussed in detail when Mark Cavendish rode the Filante. The 'overlander' style on this Rave SLR iD2 gravel bike is pure eye candy.

But it's not just about looks. Wilier already has some serious results under its belt, including wins at The Traka 200 and Unbound Gravel.

The team is set to run an international race calendar to showcase the project's global ambition by taking on some of the biggest gravel events in 2026. They start the season on February 14, 2026, in Santa Vall, followed by events like The Hills, Sea Otter Classic (USA), The Traka, Unbound Gravel, and The Rift.

We highly rated the Wilier Rave when we last saw it a few years ago, and we actually have a standard Wilier Rave in for review right now—Aaron Borrill is testing it to its limits. It doesn't have this cool livery, of course, but over the next few weeks and months, we'll find out if the performance lives up to the amazing visuals.