Rapha unveil Brevet Jersey and release film showcasing Australia's Victorian Alps

Cycle clothing firm Rapha has unveiled a new Brevet Jersey designed to meet the requirements of events such as Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), and has also released a new film featuring the rich cycling heritage of Australia’s Victorian Alps.

The new jersey will be used by the Rapha team when they take part in the French endurance ride this August, having already been tested in their qualifying rides, including the Bryan Chapman Memorial Audax Ride - there's a feature about that on the Rapha website.

With the PBP time limit of 90-hours making it obligatory to ride throughout the night, participants are required to adhere to strict rules regarding visibility and the new jersey from Rapha incorporates two reflective strips around the chest as well as hi-viz trim.

Other design features likewise acknowledge the specific demands of PBP such as a chest pocket secured with a water-resistant zip, specifically made to carry a brevet card, and inside there are three patch badges – one bearing the Rapha logo, designed to be attached to a saddle bag, a day/night badge that pays tribute to round-the-clock riding, and a flag motif badge in the colours of the city of Paris.

The jersey, which retails at £155 and can be ordered from the Rapha website, also has an emphasis on providing storage for all the other items riders need for the endurance event, with three large cargo pockets, a zipped valuables pocket and a further zipped cargo pocket provided for storing a complimentary pink hi-viz gilet provided with each garment.

Meanwhile, Rapha has turned to Australia for the location of its latest film, Rapha Rides The Victorian Alps, following a 235km loop with three mountain passes with and 5,000 vertical meters of climbing, whose difficulty it says “rivals any queen stage of a Grand Tour.”

The film features some fascinating insights into Australian cycling’s past, provided by cycling historian Malcolm Powell who finished seventh in the Commonwealth Games road race in Perth in 1962 and still rides Sunday morning crits today.

In the film, Powell talks about what he describes as “the greatest road race ever staged in the British Empire,” the 1934 Centenary 1000, including climbs that one rider said were tougher than any he had encountered in the Tour de France. You can read more about that race on the Rapha website.
 

Rapha Rides the Victorian Alps from RAPHA on Vimeo.