The Sacred Climbs
Inspired by three of the world's most iconic cycling climbs. Each of our new Club Jerseys takes elements from Sa Calobra, Box Hill, and Col Du Galibier, creating a unique design that celebrates the history and beauty of these climbs.
Sa Calobra
Sa Calobra means "the cobra" and if you have ever ridden it, you'll know that the name is relevant for more than just the endless twists and turns as it coils down the hill. At 683m elevation over 9.5k with ramps of up to 14% it certainly has a bite too.
Whilst there are of course many harder and steeper climbs out there, not many match the Col de Cal Reis (to give it its official title) in terms of scenery, enjoyment and the lack of a big reason for such an engineering effort to have even been made in the first place! It's a road that only goes to tiny cove with 2 restaurants - and the only way out is back up the way you came.
As a true bucket list route, when we came up with the idea for the sacred climbs collection this one was a natural fit. The colours chosen are of regional inspiration and the chest icon is a nod to the iconic 270 degree bend and tunnel right at the summit. On the sleeves we have placed the elevation in metric and imperial depending which you fancy defining your efforts in! Finally a small cobra adorns the middle back pocket.
So much has been written about Sa Calobra that it seems pointless us repeating it all here - if you want the full info and route details then here is a useful link HERE
Box Hill
If Box Hill or the Zig Zag road as it's known, was in the Alps or the Pyrenees it may not even register as a footnote such are its relatively unimpressive stats - just 129m up over 2.5km. But luckily for us, it's not. It's in the Surrey Hills and as such it qualifies as something of a main event climb for a big area of the UK. An accessible challenge for riders of all experience levels in an area of genuine beauty - what's not too like?!
Popular for a long time with the local cycling community it gained global awareness when the Olympic road race included it in 2012. Fast forward and according to Strava it's one of the most popular hill climb segments in the world - hence its inclusion in our Sacred Climbs collection.
The main jersey pattern is a hill summit repeat in tonal greens reminiscent of deciduous trees common in the area. The chest logo includes the famous viewpoint at the summit and the route profile spreads across the rear pockets. 2012 adorns the sleeve as a reminder of when the world first learned about it
To read more about it and other climbs in the area have a look HERE
Col Du Galibier
The Col Du Galibier has been a feature of the Tour de France since 1911 and for good reason - it's a beast. The Big Hill only starts after you have already ascended your choice of 2 other significant hills - the Col Du Telegraphe on the northern side (11.8km at 7.3%) or the Col de Lauteret on the southern side (34.2km at 3.8%). So you should be well warmed up before you begin the climb up to 2642m. This is no Box Hill.
Like everything in the Alps it's the scale that always gets you and this is no different - 42km if coming from the south side. Endless mountain peaks and never-ending tarmac can make it seem quite lonely, sometimes an alien place to be especially on a heavy leg day but the reward from hitting the top is quite something.
It features on the Routes des Grande Alpes, a journey from Lage Geneva to the Mediterranean taking in all of the great French Alpine passes. This is denoted on the jersey but the red line down the back. The tonal pattern covering the jersey is one of multiple alpine summits and the chest logo and sleeve graphics are a nod to its inclusion in Le Tour since 1911. Finally, the "HD" on the inside of the collar denotes the period you have just had having ridden the Galibier - HD = Hard Day.
