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The end of a formative era
EF Education - EasyPost and Rapha will end their collaboration after the 2025 season. The partnership between the American World Tour team and the British clothing manufacturer began in 2019 and revolutionised the design of professional cycling jerseys. "EF Pro Cycling and Rapha set out in 2019 to revolutionise the world of cycling together," said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of EF Pro Cycling. The characteristic pink jerseys with a white Rapha band on the left arm have become the team's trademark.
The collaboration led to the most highly regarded jersey presentations of the season. Rapha developed progressive designs for EF with bold colours and unconventional patterns that clearly stood out from the traditional World Tour standard. The team used this visual identity to attract new target groups to professional cycling and make the sport more accessible.
Palace collaborations as a turning point
The partnership achieved its breakthrough with the Palace collection at the Giro d'Italia 2020. The design combined psychedelic graphics with skate culture elements and caused controversy in the peloton. The time trial helmets with cartoon ducks became a symbol of the team's unconventional approach.
The second Palace collection was released in 2022 for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and celebrated the return of the women's race after a break of over 30 years. These designs combined skate style with high-performance textiles and created a new category of cycling apparel. The collaborations expanded the target audience beyond traditional cycling fans and established Rapha as an innovative design partner in professional sport.
Alternative calendar and storytelling
At the same time, the team developed the concept of the "Alternative Calendar" and expanded its activities beyond traditional World Tour races. Riders like Lachlan Morton took part in gravel races like Unbound Gravel and mountain bike events like the Leadville Trail 100 MTB. This strategy connected professional cycling with the grassroots community and created new narratives for the sport.
Rapha's documentary series "Gone Racing" ran from 2019 to 2022 and followed EF riders in WorldTour races and alternative challenges. Lachlan Morton's 2021 Alt Tour became the pinnacle of this strategy - he rode the entire Tour de France route unsupported and reached Paris five days ahead of the peloton. These stories made professional cycling more human and accessible to fans worldwide.
Technical innovation and performance
Rapha combined innovative designs with technical expertise from its collaboration with Team Sky from 2013 to 2016, and the EF jerseys utilised high-performance materials and aerodynamic cuts for optimal race performance. The characteristic design with a pink base colour and white Rapha band enabled high visibility in the peloton while maintaining functionality.
The technical properties of the jerseys met World Tour standards for breathability, moisture transport and aerodynamic efficiency. Rapha developed different versions for different areas of use - from aero jerseys for time trials to lightweight mountain jerseys for high mountain stages. This technical expertise formed the basis for the successful design language of the partnership.
Farewell collections and legacy
To mark the end of the partnership, Rapha is releasing three limited-edition jerseys from the "Celebration Collection". The "Crashed the Party" jersey combines popular designs from the seven-year collaboration. "Changed the Game" honours the team's greatest victories, while "Back to Blackout" recalls the simple debut design from 2019. The collection will be available at Rapha from 10 October 2025.
Celebration Collection jerseys
- Crashed the party: Fusion of classic EF Rapha designs
- Changed the Game: Honouring the team's successes
- Back to Blackout: Reminiscent of the 2019 debut design
- Availability: Limited edition from 10 October 2025
- Distribution: Exclusive available here
Partnership details
- Running time: 2019-2025 (seven seasons)
- Special collaborations: Palace 2020 (Giro d'Italia), Palace 2022 (Tour de France Femmes)
- Documentation: "Gone Racing" series 2019-2022
- Alternative Calendar: Unbound Gravel, Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Alt Tour 2021
