Culture
Past forward: Rapha's special-edition Flandrien collection
EF Education-EasyPost and EF Education-Cannondale will showcase a special edition switch out kit at this year’s Tour of Flanders.
March 29, 2024
In Flanders, they call cyclists who are at their best in bad weather or difficult racing conditions Flandriens.
On Sunday, over cobblestone climbs like the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont, and Paterberg, across windswept fields, and in front of hundreds of thousands of roaring fans, EF Pro Cycling will debut Rapha’s new Flandrien collection at the the toughest Flemish race of them all: De Ronde van Vlaanderen.
With a design inspired by classic racing jerseys, the kit launches Rapha’s 20th anniversary campaign, ‘Past Forward.’ It is an homage to all of the riders who have rattled over the cobbles and pushed through wind and muck to win glory in the northern classics—and to future generations of Flandriens.
With our two Ronde van Vlaanderen champions on the start line, backed by formidable women and men who have dedicated months of training to prepare for this day, we will proudly race over the Flemish hills in our Rapha Flandrien kit.
“De Ronde is a masterpiece of cycling, something holy and sacred for the Flemish people,” says 2019 winner Alberto Bettiol. “I love the passion that they have. They wait for one year for this race, and I feel a sense of responsibility to do my best for them, because of the history, because they write my name on the asphalt. I am one of the few guys in the peloton who have seen what it means to win the Ronde van Vlaanderen. I got from the Flemish people even more passion, even more excitement, even more desire to race here in this countryside. The Flandriens grew up with this mighty Ronde van Vlaanderen. Now, I am a part of their history. This is a feeling you only have here in Flanders and in a few other parts of the world.”
2017 winner Coryn Labecki and her teammates will race with bravery and determination worthy of the Lion of Flanders.
"Flanders represents the truest essence or meaning of road cycling,” she says. “It is just a cool frickin race. This is the standard and the highest level of racing. There is just so much history in the classics. They are some of the hardest and most technical road races in the world. I love cobbled climbs. I love the challenge and the technicality of it and then fans just add an extra dimension to it that not all races have.”
We are excited to show those fans our Rapha Flandrien kit.
The Flandrien Collection will be available for purchase from April 2, 2024, with exclusive 24-hour early access for RCC members