THE 2019 TOUR DE SUISSE COLLECTION
The Tour de Suisse is the most important one-week race in professional road cycling.
Strategically located on the UCI World Tour calendar,
the Tour de Suisse is a proving ground for Grand Tour hopefuls and an enviable palmares for those strong enough to win it.
More than a million spectators are expected to line the 1,300 kilometer racecourse in 2019. Riders will face team and individual time-trials, technical, fast and flat stages, and 17,000 meters of stunning Alpine climbs. Over its 83-year history, the race has been won by some of cycling's most-prominent stars, such as Hugo Koblet, Eddy Merckx, Sean Kelley and Chris Froome. Most recently, the race was won by Santini-sponsored Trek-Segafredo rider Richie Porte.
Santini is proud to partner with the Tour de Suisse to produce jerseys for the leaders of its overall race classifications: Yellow for General Classification, black for Points Classification, and white with azure trim for the Best Climber. Replicas of the three leader’s jerseys, as well as a two-kit mini collection, will be available for sale to the general public in spring.
INSPIRED GRAPHIC DESIGN
CROSS
The design of the 2019 Cross jersey was created to pay homage to the race as a whole; dedicated to every stage. The white cross on a red background of the Swiss flag was first used as a military ensign for the naval fleet of the Swiss Confederacy in the 14th century. The modern flag was first used during the time of Napoleon and was adopted as the national flag in 1889. It is the icon of Switzerland and our starting point for this kit design. The design then draws on elements directly related to one of the principle figures of Swiss graphic design, Josef Müller-Brockmann. One of the originators and most renowned practitioners of the International Style, a form of design employing the strict organization of shapes and text and bold simplicity all combining to create simple and clean graphic messages.
TREMOLA
Our Tremola kit comes from a different source of inspiration. The Tremola San Gottardo is one of the highest paved roads in Europe. Located in the Canton (Swiss state) of Ticino and linking the town of Airolo to the San Gottardo Pass, the pass serves as the finish for seventh stage of the 2019 Tour de Suisse. La Tremola, as it’s known locally holds a truly mythical status among Switzerland’s iconic mountain passes, with sections still retaining the original granite paving flanked by the original dry-stone walls. The winding road, which in one section contains 24 linked hairpin turns, was the basis for the design of our Tremola kit. The logo on the upper back references those sinuous turns and the grainy blue image placed on the back pocket highlights a section of this roadway.