As part of their recently-renewed and extended partnership, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Santini Cycling Wear are happy to announce the launch of a new collection of clothing and accessories for cyclists, sporting the rainbow symbol of the UCI World Championships.
Designed and manufactured by the Italian company Santini, the items in this collection will be available from March 2021 exclusively in Decathlon shops in Italy, Belgium, Hungary and Switzerland, in a dedicated UCI-Santini corner, as well as via the website of the worldwide sports and leisure retail outlet.
The collection, created in consultation with the UCI, comprises a replica of the UCI World Champion's jersey, a set including a black jersey, shorts and gilet, as well as a range of black and white accessories. All items sport the symbolic rainbow stripes and stand out because of their quality, hallmark of the Santini brand, and their very attractive prices.
For both the UCI and Santini, the launch of this 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 operation is in line with the UCI's desire, shared with Santini, to increase the pool of cyclists and those who ride bikes for different reasons – competition sport, leisure activity and a means of transport – which was behind "Ride and Smile", the worldwide campaign to promote cycling for all, launched by the UCI in July 2019.
UCI President David Lappartient declared: "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 declared: "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."
The Road cycling category Manager for Decathlon Italy, Donato Favale declared: "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 fulfill our mission 'Sport for the Many'. The product offer outlined with Santini and the UCI will be present in 75% of physical Decathlon Italy stores and in 100% of the online offer available on decathlon.it."
The Commercial Leader Decathlon Marketplace – Belgium, Wim Mathues declared: "Santini was one of the first partners that joined our ambitious Sports Marketplace, bringing not only their iconic Italian brand to our millions of customers, but also the full UCI World Champion collection. It goes without saying it's an incredible honour to welcome the legendary rainbow jersey, starting on Decathlon.be, but also in many other countries in the course of 2021."
The Hungarian Decathlon network Leader of Cycling Department, Dávid Dovák added: "Santini and the UCI are part of road cycling's history, which everyone knows is special and unique. It's a pleasure for us to work together with them both. Thanks to this partnership we can share the pleasure of the sport with more and more cyclists in the upcoming season in Hungary. That is our mission, and I'm sure that together we will make this mission a success."
