Velocio Foundation Women’s Jersey

The Velocio Foundation Women's Jersey is its latest 'high end entry level' design, and it's a great choice if you're looking for a comfortable top finished to an excellent standard. It has an incredibly well-judged fit and the fabric is supersoft. And to top it all off, it's made fully from recycled materials.

Velocio has designed the Foundation with a slightly more relaxed fit than some. It's not skin tight but the cut follows the curves of your body perfectly. There's no bagginess anywhere, and it'll stay comfortable for miles and miles on the road.

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The length is longer at the front than racier styles, but not excessively so. Walking around at a café stop there's no chance of an annoying gap between where your jersey ends and your shorts begin, and back on the bike there's not too much fabric rolling up either.

Made in Albania, with Italian milled recycled polyester throughout, the fabric of the Foundation jersey is wonderfully soft; I'd happily wear this without a baselayer. This fabric also provides a layer of defence against the sun thanks to its UPF 30+ protection.

The fabric does also feel a touch delicate, but I've not had any issues with pulling threads during the two-month-long test period, and it still looks pretty much new, which certainly bodes well.

The sleeves are made from the same fabric as the main body; there's no added elasticity, but there's still a little bit of stretch. The cut is very good here and as a result the sleeves stay in place remarkably well, especially given there's no silicone gripper on the insides. The hem is not as comfortable as a raw edge finish, but equally, over longer rides the soft, quick-wicking fabric doesn't get sticky.

The sleeves are shorter than all my other jerseys; a ridge of my blindingly white skin is on show... but more importantly, practicality-wise this makes things a little trickier pairing with arm warmers.

The low collar helps keep you fresh, and it also means there's a little less material flapping about if you need to lower the zip to let some cooling air in.

At the rear are three standard pockets; these can be packed full and don't sag. There isn't a fourth zipped one for keeping your keys or other valuables safe, though.

The YKK CamLock zipper is smooth to use and is finished off with a garage. Overall, the quality of the jersey is very good, with neat stitching throughout.

> Buyer’s Guide: 30 of the best summer cycling jerseys

The single colour styling is simplistically stunning; the choice is mint, coral or the navy I had on test. Sizing options are inclusive, ranging from XXS up to XXXL.

Priced at £74, the Foundation Jersey isn't exactly cheap for an entry-level jersey, though Velocio does say 'high end entry level'...

Stu Kerton tested the men's version of the relaxed fitting Madison Roam Merino jersey (there's also a women's option) and he found the merino wool and polyester blend very breathable and fast drying, for a lower £59.99.

> Read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling jerseys here

Top-quality comfortable jerseys for relaxed rides, made from recycled materials, can cost a whole lot more though – such as Rapha's Women's Classic Jersey II, which retails at £110.

Overall, the Foundation is a very good quality jersey that's been very well executed. It fits well, it's very comfortable for all-day rides, it's a good looker and thanks to the 100% recycled materials used, it's environmentally friendly too. It could just do with slightly longer sleeves to increase its versatility for pairing with arm warmers on colder days and changeable conditions.

Verdict

Very good summer jersey, relaxed but nicely shaped, using comfortable recycled materials throughout