British cycling clothing brand, Rapha, and popular skate and streetwear brand, Palace, have teamed up to produce a limited edition run of cycling kit to celebrate Rapha’s 20th anniversary.
The pair have collaborated twice before, and both have been immensely popular among cyclists and fans worldwide.
The first was a swap-out kit for the EF Education WorldTour team in 2020 to avoid a clash between their otherwise pink jersey and the Giro d’Italia's pink race-leader jersey, the maglia rosa.
The UCI promptly fined the team for failing to register the kit in time, but the radical designs became hot ticket items on eBay, commanding bids far in excess of the list prices.
That was followed up by another swap-out kit, this time for both the women’s and men’s EF Education teams, to celebrate the first Tour de France Femmes in 2022.
The Rapha x Palace collections have always been distinctive and this latest kit is no different, taking some of cycling’s classic looks from the 1980s and '90s, but giving them a radical twist.
Would-be purchasers can view the new collection online and sign up for a ballot for the new collaboration, and Rapha Cycle Club members get exclusive early access.
Items in the collection are:
- Rapha Palace Merino Zip Knit
- Rapha Palace Shell 6-Panel
- Rapha Palace Classico Long Sleeve Jersey
- Rapha Palace Classico Short Sleeve Jersey
- Rapha Palace Merino Socks
The collection should allow you to kit yourself out – or at least your top half – for pretty much all riding conditions.
Purchase via ballot
Rapha is clearly expecting high demand for the new collaboration, so it's organising priority access for Rapha Cycle Club members, followed by general access via a ballot.
The third edition Rapha x Palace kit will be available to view online from 11:00 UK, 12:00 CEST, 11:00 EDT and 08:00 PDT on Friday 4th October. There’s in-store viewing in the London and New York Rapha stores from the same time and in the LA store from 11:00 PDT.
Online and store viewers in Korea and Japan will have to wait until 11:00 JST and those in China until 11:00 CST on Saturday 5th October.
That will be followed by online availability for would-be purchasers, which will open first to Rapha Cycling Club members from Tuesday 8th October. A ballot for non-members will open from Wednesday 9th October on rapha.cc. Rapha will also have limited quantities available to buy at its London Clubhouse.
There are more details on how to access the collection for Rapha Cycle Club members and how to sign up for the ballot for non-members on Rapha’s site.
