Rapha partners with EF-Drapac in return to World Tour
Rapha returns to the WorldTour with EF Education-Drapac
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Rapha is reentering the top echelons of cycling as it announces its partnership with EF Education First. While Rapha will of course supply the team’s kits, that’s just the beginning of this unique approach to sponsorship. Rapha will also play the part of team storyteller in order to help build a new audience of cycling fans.
That essentially means Rapha will be creating its own in-house content to give fans a behind-the-curtain look at pro cycling and its riders. This includes regular videos and stories throughout the course of the team’s year at various races.
According to Rapha, this approach to sponsorship resulted from a two-year study that concluded the best way to grow the sport of cycling is to grow the audience and creating channels through which teams can connect to that audience.
That effort has led the partnership down a different path that strays from the WorldTour entirely: Rapha will follow EF Education First riders through a mix of races, including ultra-endurance, fixed gear criterium, and mixed-terrain events. The coverage will be shown live at Rapha clubhouses throughout the world.
The new kit designs will be released soon. Rapha says it will draw from the current designs created by POC and bring in its own style on the Rapha Pro Team apparel.