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Santini has been announced as the official kit supplier to the UCI Track Champions League.
The brand will provide a series of custom skinsuits for riders competing in the league, including leader’s jerseys. The deal also includes the production of clothing for event staff with the rights to commercialise 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 new competition.
Each of the 72 riders taking part in the UCI Track Champions League will be provided with a custom Santini Viper Z2 TT Speedsuit. The brand 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 its 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. It has 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.”
Monica Santini, CEO, Santini Cycling Wear, added: “Our strength lies in our in-house production capacity in our HQ in Italy. I believe we have the skills and the production know-how to satisfy the athletes’ requests quickly and in the most detailed way possible.
“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.
Ribeiro added: “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.”
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