Gear

The clothing of the Classics: weatherproof kit from Castelli, Sportful, Endura, Santini, Vermarc, Moa and Rapha

The Castelli Gabba is the standard for weatherproof jerseys, but else is out there?

Vermarc Zero Aqua PRR Jersey (Etixx-QuickStep)

If you're going to ride through autumn and winter then you better get used to the idea of getting wet
There's something very peaceful about riding in the rain
The Endura Equipe Classics Jacket is new for 2015
The Santini Reef Rain Jersey was developed with the Lotto.NL-Jumbo squad
The Vermarc Zero Aqua PRR Jersey is available in short and long-sleeve versions
The Fredonia is Vermarc's take on the weatherproof jersey
Ok, it's not a jersey, but the Rapha ProTeam Softshell Base Layer was designed for racing in cold, wet conditions

Vermarc Zero Aqua PRR Jersey (Etixx-QuickStep)

Now proudly making the kit for world champion Michael Kwiatkowski and his Etixx-QuickStep team, Vermarc offer one of the more affordable jerseys in this category, with the Zero Aqua PRR coming in at £101.99.

Vermarc are from Belgium, the home of the Classics, so should know a thing of two about making clothing for cool, wet conditions, and the team is home to the likes of Mark Cavendish, who will start Milan-San Remo among the favourites, and 2014 Paris-Roubaix winner Niki Terpstra.

Vermarc class the Zero Aqua as suitable for winter riding, and specifically claim it thrives at eight degrees and below. The front is made a dual layer wind stopping fabric with a hydrophobic membrane, making it resistant to light rain. They’ve also designed it to be breathable, helping to keep you warm but also dry from underneath, hopefully avoiding that ‘wetsuit feeling’ you can get with a lot of wet weather gear.

Silicone strips stop the jersey from riding up at the back, and the reflective logos and strips add visibility and make up for the fact that the jersey is all black. If you don’t fancy pairing it with arm warmers, Vermarc also do the Zero Aqua in a long-sleeved version.