The Changeout: Upcycling Pro Cycling
Cannondale’s tradition of eye-catching pro tour liveries continues this year – but with a twist.
Over the decades, Cannondale pro tour teams have established an unofficial tradition of livery – seen on kits, bikes, team buses, gear, etc. – that boasts eye-catching colors and designs. From the black-and-white striped prison inmate-themed “Legalize My Cannondale” days, to our most recent Palace x Rapha x Cannondale collaboration, we’re proud that Cannondale teams never go unnoticed.
This year, as the 2023 Giro d’Italia nears, the tradition of making a statement remains, but with a twist: an eye on a greener future. Cannondale, Rapha, and EF’s “Hello Zero” initiative aligned on a whole new approach to the teams’ livery. It’s called The Changeout.
Pro teams EF Education-EasyPost and EF Education-TIBCO-SVB will ride in kits and on bikes produced with minimal usage of new materials. The kit design is borne of entirely upcycled materials that had been previously destined for landfills, now re-engineered as pro-tour-worthy cycling apparel. The bike frames and parts are ones pulled from our team-issued materials – not made explicitly for the tour, as some in the peloton are – and their paint work is entirely recycled or excess paint from our custom paint shop. Being hand-painted of assorted colors, no two will be alike.
But the kits and bikes will only be the most visible elements of a broader initiative. An onboard water filtration system on team buses will spare the production of around 20,000 liters’ worth of plastic bottles that otherwise goes towards hydrating athletes. Team mechanics will utilize low-impact lubricants and chemicals, and reusable work gloves instead of the far more common one-time-use ones.
Cycling’s impact on the environment transcends the reduction of our planet’s dependence on cars. We can and will do more, as we learn different ways to minimize material use, recycle what we can, and create products that won’t hang around the planet longer than we want them to. Watch our video here to learn more about the designs of Cannondale’s bikes this year and click the links below to see even more.
