Rapha Cycling commemorates Tour climb - sportstextiles: Lea SportsTextiles

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Rapha Cycling commemorates Tour climb

23/07/2010
UK-based cycling brand Rapha has launched a limited-edition jersey to commemorate the centenary of the Tour de France’s first visit to the Col du Tourmalet—the highest pass in the Pyrenees and perhaps the most famous climb of the whole race. The jersey is made from 39% merino wool and 61% polyester. It comes in a classic slim fit but is cut a little longer than usual at the front so that enthusiasts can wear it off the bike. A ribbed collar and cuffs and metal zip give a retro feel. It also features a host of references to the original stage in the high mountains.

It was on 21 July 1910 that the riders first had to complete the climb of 2,115 metres on a stage between Luchon and Bayonne, a total distance of 326 kilometres.

The commemorative Rapha jersey has the words ‘parfaitement passable’ embroidered across the chest and the signature ‘A Steines’ on the right sleeve. This is a reference to a message sent to Tour organiser Henri Desgrange by side-kick Alphonse Steines. In the winter before the 1910 race, Steines had been sent to check out the suitability of the Tourmalet for inclusion in the route and concluded that it was “perfectly passable”.

The designer who worked on the commemorative shirt for Rapha Cycling, Ultan Coyle, has explained: “When I started researching the 1910 story, I was bowled over by its richness. The most striking part for me was Alphonse Steines’ recce of the Tourmalet. His car could only get within three kilometres of the summit due to thick snow. He continued on foot regardless and ended up having to be rescued off the mountain by a search party.

“Once back in civilisation he sent the telegram to Henri Desgrange saying, ‘Crossed Tourmalet. Very good road. Perfectly passable. Steines.’ So for me the embroidered A Steines signature is what it’s all about.”

There’s a representation of the telegram inside a rear pocket on the new jersey, an embroidered crest of the Hautes-Pyrénées department on the back, and, on the left arm, an image of the statue to the early Tour de France pioneers that stands at the top of the Tourmalet.

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