For a company that could be credited with bringing the vibrant & hi-viz pink trend to modern road kit, Rapha has gone for a much more understated look to commemorate 100 years of the Giro d’Italia. Their new Fausto Coppi Collection certainly pulls in a bit of pink to celebrate the 5-time Giro winner, but the designs are more classic, leaning heavily on a muted color palette. Rapha blends in some of their more tech-focused synthetic fabrics of late, while also including traditional designs and merino for the Coppi Collection with a big focus on the fact that each of its pieces are made in Italy. Check out the blend of modern & classic designs…
Mixing pinks, wine reds and celeste, the Coppi Collection has on and off the bike kit to satisfy the retro grouch or just those looking for a classic design inspiration. With similar manufacturing and stitching techniques to the jerseys raced in the 1960s, the all-merino jerseys stick with a traditional knit construction and classic panel designs, then get ribbed collars & cuffs, short zips, and button closure pockets out back. The much more modern 125€ Coppi Flyweight jersey on the other hand mixes the pale pink of La Gazzetta dello Sport in with Rapha’s lightest weight jersey for training and racing in the hottest & most humid conditions. It then gets accented across the 3+1 rear pockets with a profile of the 1940 stage up to Abetone where Coppi first made his mark on the Giro.
Besides the $220/180€ Coppi Celeste Merino jersey in honor of his time racing for Bianchi, there are two other merino jerseys in the collection. The $245/210€ Coppi Rosa Merino is the most expensive and most (subtly?) ornate of the bunch. It gets the same cut & features as the others, but has Coppi type woven into the thick double knit Italian merino fabric itself. If that’s not your style, there is also the $220/180€ Coppi Nera Merino jersey that was actually never worn by Coppi himself. The black jersey honors the last placed rider and Giuseppe Ticozzelli – the Italian footballer who hopped on a bike and rode the race, finishing last in 1926.
Each of the Coppi Merino jerseys are cut to be worn on & off the bike and share the same 3 button-closure rear pockets, and are all made in Italy.
For a bit of protection from the weather the Coppi Collection also has two jackets as well, both available in deep burgundy. The $220/180€ Coppi Pack Jacket was developed out of the Brevet line to offer super light protection from the elements with its nylon shell that stuffs down to easily fit in a jersey pocket. The Coppi version also gets special edition graphics, a metal zip with a classic finish and a button closure collar. The $295/250€ Coppi Merino Warm Up jacket is just a total luxury sweater to wear off the bike, and can be paired up with a matching $285/210€ black pair of merino warm up pants for the full double knit Italian merino wool experience off the bike if your wallet can handle it.
Back on the bike and a bit more practical, a $285/210€ Coppi edition of Rapha’s mainstay Classic Bib Shorts II takes all the recent updates to their shorts and rolls them into a black & pale pink package to round out your special edition kit with a Coppi logo on one leg. The $75/55€ Coppi Silk Scarf seems a bit unnecessary at first, but we’ve seen firsthand that a light piece of silk does wonders to add a bit of warmth or even wind-blocking when the weather changes quickly, while packing down to almost nothing in a jersey pocket. It also will remind you of Coppi’s wins and his 8-point Code of Champions. A $55/40€ cotton print cap might be more on budget for riders wanting to show a little Coppi/Giro100 love. Or there’s a $20/17.50€ pair of white socks with a Coppi signature stitched in, or a pair of $295/250€ Coppi tortoise shell sunglasses.
All of the Coppi kit is now available through Rapha’s website, with plenty of time to have shipping get it to you before the end of the three week tour. In addition to the Coppi Collection, Rapha will also be organizing events & rides through their global network of Clubhouses for cyclists to get the full experience of Italy’s Grand Tour.
