Since Team Sky debuted in 2010, the number of black jerseys in the peloton has grown markedly, sometimes making it difficult to distinguish between teams at high speed.
But Rapha have sought to combat that for 2016 by adding a flash of colour to Team Sky’s redesigned kit.
While Team Sky’s kit has long had a blue stripe on the left sleeve, blue and white horizontal stripes have been added across the chest, with a vertical blue stripe on the rear.
A new, lighter shade of blue, replicating that found on Team Sky’s 2016 Pinarello Dogma F8 bikes, has been used, with the style of the jersey similar to that of Rapha’s Brevet collection. The Rapha logo on the left leg of the team’s shorts is in the same blue, except on Peter Kennaugh’s national champion’s kit, which remains largely unchanged from 2015.
“The new shade of blue has been developed by Rapha to maximise visibility for riders in the peloton and fans watching from the roadside or on television,” according to Rapha. “The updated graphics were born from the team’s desire to stand out from the peloton while retaining the simple, elegant black and blue kit for which they are known.”
The kit will again be available to buy through Rapha, with a Pro Team range, as worn by Chris Froome and co, and a more affordable replica collection.
Details of the Pro Team range are yet to be announced, but the replica line-up on the Rapha website includes a jersey (£75), kids jersey (£50), bib shorts (£100), t-shirt (£30).
This will be the last kit Rapha produces for Team Sky, with the four-year partnership to end at the conclusion of the 2016 campaign, which starts with the Tour Down Under on January 16-24.