though there has been a perceptible reduction in its influence on the contemporary pelotonese, in the realm of road racing, italy once reigned supreme. my own evidence for this particular statement was not only an overwhelming need to accessorise my first steel-framed road bike with a campagnolo chorus groupset, but the sheer necessity of replacing the latter velocipede with a colnago. a superissimo, born in the years when colnagos had very cool italian names.
quite from where this specific influence had arrived, i know not; my early years of cycle infatuation were initially spent on the dark-side, filling the bike shed with so-called mountain bikes and in that genre at the time, japan's influence was paramount via shimano and suntour. the chorus components were transferred to the superissimo, for who ever heard of festooning an italian marque with anything other than componentry italiano style? disappointingly, that particular mindset seems not to have persisted to the present. quite why the influence has waned is anyone's guess.
the giro d'italia, as witnessed by the recently reviewed giro 100 by herbie sykes, was once the province of italian teams, populated by italian riders riding italian bicycles. in true parochial fashion, the latter were often unmoved by the prospect of three french weeks in july; for them, the concern lay primarily in traversing the length and breadth of the wellington boot, from sicily at the toe, to the swiss border at the knee.
this restrictive vision often suited not only the political machinations of italy's leaders and italian industry, but also the adoration of the tifosi who looked forward each year to the rivalries that seemingly populate virtually every sport, no matter the country of origin. and midst those involving girardengo, bitossi and pantani, the enduring popularity of that played out between gino bartali and il campionissimo, fausto coppi, must surely rank amongst road-racing's most famous.
though the average man or woman in the street has probably a vague idea of who eddy merckx is (or was), amongst the cognoscenti, it is arguably coppi who still holds court in the coffee shop and peloton. it is possible that there have been more words written about fausto coppi than any other rider; the fact that he unfortunately died prematurely at the age of 41 only added to the brightness of his star. as attested to in herbie sykes' giro 100, "Merckx was the best, but Coppi was the greatest."
as if justification were needed, on the day that the 100th edition of the giro d'italia begins in sardinia, rapha commemorates fausto's impressive and unforgettable gift to cyclists everywhere with the release today of an entire range of quality on and off-bike apparel. though the range consists of several jerseys, cap, socks, scarf, track suit, and sunglasses, the most iconic images of the great italian saw him clad in the celeste and white wool jersey of his bianchi team, a modern merino edition of which takes pride of place in the collection.
this impossibly fine italian merino jersey presents not only a nod to bianchi's domination of the giro and italian cycling, on the back of coppi, but a tailored reference by way of three buttoned rear pockets. imperial works, keen to smudge the boundaries between active and leisure wear are more than happy for us to wear the jersey to the coffee shop sans bici, but have built the jersey to withstand the rigours of having those buttoned pockets stuffed with an essentials case, mini-pump, digital lumix camera, gilet and foldable backpack, yet without the hem trailing on the rear tyre.
as with rapha's more regular clothing ranges, the fit is impeccable, with finely judged sleeves (the rightmost is embellished with an embroidered coppi signature) and a quarter length front zip. sadly, the jersey does not confer the immeasurable grace on the bike as demonstrated by il campionissimo; that is scarcely within rapha's remit or capability, but as evidenced by more than a single coffee-based compliment, it exudes an impressive style when in close proximity to the art of the barista.
though coppi died when i was only four years old, his palmares, infamy, grimpeurship and incontestable style on the bike has been an intangible influence throughout my years of roadie-based meanderings. though the closest i'll ever get to the cima coppi is to watch it on eurosport's highlights, i now have the luxury of wearing this luxurious rapha tribute to the great man. as, indeed, can you.
"just ride, just ride, just ride."
rapha's merino wool celeste jersey is available direct from rapha.cc and rapha clubhouses at a cost of £150. the accompanying range consists of a 'rosa merino jersey', a 'nera merino jersey', 'flyweight jersey', 'classic bib shorts', 'tracksuit', 'pack jacket', 'silk scarf', 'merino socks' and 'cap'.
friday 5 may 2017
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