Rapha Lightweight Jersey £100

Waking up to a hot sunny day seems an increasing rarity in Britain. There’s nothing more motivating than pulling back the curtains to find the sun is drowning the countryside in a hot blanket of heat, the kind that forces the sweat to bead profusely from your face. It’s time’s like these that keeping cool is paramount.

That’s the intention of Rapha’s Lightweight jersey. Made from a lightweight version of Sportwool material (25% Merino and 75% polyester), a popular choice for many of Rapha’s garments, everything about the jersey is designed to keep you cool. From the near full-length lined zip with a lockdown puller for baring your chest on the climbs, to the full-length mesh panel running centrally down the back, it’s clearly designed for keeping you cool.

The material itself is a lot thinner than you’ll find in jerseys like the Classic or Club, making it really only suited to summer months. If you’re thinking now that the jersey skimps on features, think again. Rapha has managed to include two large cargo pockets, and underneath those, a full-width stowage pocket, accessed via a vertical zip, easily swallows a pair of armwarmers. One zipped pocket completes the stowing options on the back, just leaving us to mention the tiny hidden pocket on the front, presumably for stashing such things as caffeine pills, salt tablets – you might guess we didn’t find much to test about this last pocket.

Available in white, and in five sizes from XS to XLL.