As this year’s Giro d’Italia gets started, Rapha launched the Gavia 88 Collection. That’s a brand new vintage-inspired, but highly technical cold-weather kit (jersey, jacket, baselayer, bibs) that pays homage to the 30th anniversary of Andy Hampston’s incredible 1988 win on the Passo di Gavia in some of the worst riding conditions this Grand Tour has ever seen.
It’s that day
The day the big men cried.
I knew the Gavia collection was coming because Andy Hampsten told the crowd who attended his talk at the Seattle Club early this year that it was.
He just couldn’t keep that secret and how could he. The collection celebrates a legendary ride and brings the spirit of ’88 back, a time when cycling was capturing our hearts and minds instead of making us angry on social media because of Froome’s participation.
What you need to know about the collection:
- In wintry conditions, Andy wore an undershirt to fend off the cold on the Gavia. Rapha’s limited edition version of the Pro Team Race Cape is inspired by that ride, but its modern materials make it a jacket he wishes he had had.
- Hampsten’s attack on the Gavia famously moved him into the leader’s maglia rosa. The limited edition jersey is modeled on the one he wore on the stage itself – the blue of the combination classification leader.
- Despite horrific conditions on the stage, Hampsten wore only his team edition shorts. Based on Rapha’s Classic Bib Shorts II, these special shorts will see you through a range of riding temperatures, though Rapha wouldn’t recommend riding through a blizzard.
- The morning after the Gavia stage, the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper heralded Hampsten’s brave attack. A special version of Rapha’s lightweight and breathable Pro Team Base Layer is printed with the pages of that very edition.
Read more about Andy Hampsten and what happened in 88 in this Medium story. And, for a short time see the bike he rode.
…There is an incredibly special bike on display at Rapha Seattle for the next few weeks. pic.twitter.com/dFegmPOhFL
— Andy Bokanev (@bokanev) May 4, 2018
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