Brooklyn Cycling Team

The magic of a timeless icon

The team’s story begins in 1970 with the creation of Gruppo Sportivo Dreher, sponsored by the namesake brewery and led by young sports director Franco Cribiori. The roster already included prominent riders such as Patrick Sercu, two-time world sprint champion on the track, and Italian track cyclist Giordano Turrini.

The real turning point came in 1972, when a rider destined to change the team’s history forever joined Dreher: Roger De Vlaeminck. The young Flemish talent quickly imposed himself with prestigious victories, including Milano–Torino, Tirreno–Adriatico, his first Paris–Roubaix, and the points classification at the Giro d’Italia. It was immediately clear he was no ordinary rider, but a champion in the making.

At the end of that season, the confectionery company Perfetti took over the team, replacing Dreher with the Brooklyn Chewing Gum brand. Thus, the Brooklyn Cycling Team was born, racing on Gios bicycles in a dazzling blue — the now-legendary “Gios blue” that became an icon in cycling history.

From 1973 to 1977, the Brooklyn Cycling Team became one of the strongest and most recognizable squads on the international stage. In its very first year, the team made headlines: De Vlaeminck won Milano–Sanremo, three Giro d’Italia stages, and numerous cyclocross races, while Patrick Sercu confirmed himself as one of the best sprinters in the world.

In the following years, the team cemented its reputation with triumphs that belong to cycling legend. In 1974, De Vlaeminck claimed his second Paris–Roubaix, Tirreno–Adriatico, and Giro di Lombardia, while Sercu took three stage wins and the coveted green jersey at the Tour de France. In 1975 came total dominance at the Giro d’Italia, with twelve stage wins — seven of them by De Vlaeminck — who also secured the points classification for the third time in his career.

In 1976, Brooklyn’s strength was further confirmed: ten Giro stage victories, Johan De Muynck’s second place overall just 19 seconds behind Felice Gimondi, and Giancarlo Bellini’s polka dot jersey at the Tour de France. Meanwhile, De Vlaeminck added another Tirreno–Adriatico, the Giro di Lombardia, and many other prestigious races to his palmarès. In 1977 came his definitive consecration: the extraordinary double of the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix, bringing his total “Hell of the North” victories to four.

In just five years, Brooklyn built a legacy of unforgettable victories, style, and identity. When Perfetti decided to withdraw from cycling in 1977, the team disbanded, but the legend was already written in history.

Speaking of the Brooklyn Cycling Team inevitably means speaking of Roger De Vlaeminck. Born in Eeklo, in East Flanders, Roger embodied the complete rider: fast, resilient, and gifted with an extraordinary instinct for the Classics.

His career is inseparable from Paris–Roubaix, where he triumphed four times, earning the nickname “Monsieur Roubaix.” But to define De Vlaeminck by that race alone would be to diminish his greatness. He won every Monument except Liège–Bastogne–Liège, proving himself on every terrain: from the cobblestones of the North to the finales of Milano–Sanremo, from the climbs of Lombardia to the relentless rhythm of Tirreno–Adriatico, which he won six years in a row.

He was also a remarkable cyclocross rider, crowned UCI World Champion in 1975 — proof of his versatility and ability to adapt to any discipline. His style, at once powerful and elegant, defined an era and made him an icon who still embodies the spirit of 1970s cycling.

Today that story returns, not as mere memory, but as an experience to be worn and lived. The Santini x Brooklyn collection brings back the magic of those years, reinterpreting vintage style with modern technology.

At the heart of the collection is, of course, the Brooklyn team jersey — faithful to the original design but made with state-of-the-art technical fabrics. Alongside it are two refined wool jerseys: one inspired by the team’s historic kit and another dedicated to Roger De Vlaeminck, echoing the jersey he wore in 1975 when he won the UCI Cyclocross World Championship.

Completing the line are two cotton t-shirts, a casual contemporary sweatshirt, and a cycling cap — the essential accessory for anyone wishing to celebrate that unforgettable era with style. And the Brooklyn cap itself went on to enjoy a surprising second life outside cycling: nearly a decade after the team’s farewell, Spike Lee chose it as a signature piece for Mars Blackmon, the character he played in the film She’s Gotta Have It (1986). From that moment, the cap became part of 1980s cultural iconography.

Ogni Secondo Conta

Every Second Counts

Nel ciclismo professionistico, ogni minimo dettaglio può fare la differenza — soprattutto nelle prove a cronometro, dove anche un solo watt risparmiato si traduce in velocità. In Santini, abbiamo sempre...