Five cycling brands to discover

Saturday has started the Giro d'Italia, the most important stage race of cycling in Italy and one of the most relevant in the entire world, and for three weeks the sports fans will rediscover one of the oldest and most fascinating disciplines, which in recent seasons has become incredibly popular again. This is certainly due to the many new champions, one of them being Tadej Pogačar who will be at the start of the pink race, but also to the many brands that have been able to interpret the more aesthetic and lifestyle side of a sport that is not just about hard work and sweat. In fact, like perhaps only running, cycling in its countless forms has been able to create communities, groups and consequently brands related to cities, places and scenes. Now some of these have become big, creating technical material that combines high quality materials with modern designs, far from our memories saturated with cathode ray tubes. Here are five that have just launched their new collections to choose for the perfect outfit for the next adventures on the road or off-road.

Pas Normal Studios x Oakley

Pas Normal Studio has established itself in recent years as one of the leading brands for technical clothing, combining Scandinavian design and cutting-edge performance, creating a strong community around their store in Copenhagen. And the collaboration with Oakley, another brand on the rise thanks to the explosion of technical eyewear, continues in the minimalist style with a bib and jersey dominated by the O logo while Pas Normal Studios' logo is more discreetly placed on the side. Of course, the collection also includes various lifestyle pieces and the inevitable performance eyewear, the Radar EV Path and the Encoder Strike Vented.

Attaquer

The Australian brand had already caught the eye last season with a successful collection with Kappa that combined cycling and football in a unique and truly intriguing way. Now their new line, Speed of Life, has just been released, a capsule collection where the shapes of the lycra suits meet punk graphic prints and tie-dye colors. A line designed to be worn both on the bike and in a lifestyle setting, thus bringing certain silhouettes and models out of the performance realm.

Rapha x AMANI Team

Rapha is one of the most well-known names among cycling enthusiasts, thanks in part to their excellent work supplying the American Pro Tour team EF Education First, with whom they have also collaborated with Palace Skateboarding. Now the brand's roads have reached Africa, where Rapha has partnered with AMANI Project, a collective born with the aim of improving the conditions of local cycling. Inspired by the wildlife of East Africa, the process of creating these jerseys reflects that of hand-painted matatus in Nairobi, a creative approach that breaks the mold of traditional design processes.

Cascada.cc

The Italian brand combines cycling clothing with a mountain aesthetic, with patterns inspired by forests and plaid flannels. Made and tested in Trentino with sustainable materials and supply chains, the jerseys are more suitable for off-trail excursions rather than racing, and are aimed at the increasingly wide range of gravel enthusiasts, a term that has now become trendy and includes everything you can do on a bike that is neither road nor mountain biking. Cascada also offers lifestyle clothing, always in earthy and green tones, for those who want to experience the outdoors on a bike, of any kind.

Rocacorba

The brand from Girona also offers a series of racing kits that play with both cycling and streetwear aesthetics, adding a touch of nostalgia. Some jerseys, in fact, take on the vintage design of cycling jerseys, with horizontal bands in the center of the chest and retro-style prints, while others offer prints characterized by very colorful and aggressive all-over patterns. But the best ones have just been released in the Mallorca collection dedicated to the Balearic Islands, with a rugged print in the colors of the land of the Spanish islands that is suitable for both challenging sessions and cycling tourism rides.