British brand overhauls U.S. national kit in debut year of partnership stretching through to L.A. Olympic Games.
(Photo: Getty + Caroline Tompkins for Rapha)
Updated January 16, 2026 08:10AM
Rapha made bold blue and bright red so last year as part of its radical reinvention of USA Cycling’s racing apparel.
On Friday, the British brand launched a new kit for U.S. riders that rips up the styling script after years of primary verticals.
Baby-blue, white, and orange (or is it red?) dominate a wild new wardrobe that’s sure to spark debate.
According to Rapha, this debut design of its multi-year partnership with USAC shifts the federation’s identity in a way that’s both symbolic and functional.
Road, track, MTB, and BMX athletes will all shoulder the new look through the build toward the 2028 L.A. Olympics, the first U.S. summer Games since Atlanta 1996.
Los Angeles will become only the third city to host three Olympic Games when it welcomes athletes in 2028.
“The collection draws inspiration from 1984, a watershed moment for American cycling as the home nation took nine medals in Los Angeles,” reads the Rapha kit reveal.
“Blending instantly recognisable elements from the Stars and Stripes with a sense of movement, the ‘Lightspeed’ pattern is central to the designs. Lightspeed adds to a long tradition of using patterns to express motion and speed in sportswear,” reads the note.
“Stripes are also an integral part of both Rapha’s design heritage and the history of cycling apparel.”
Rapha has given USAC a new palette and a new set of stripes. (Photo: Caroline Tompkins for Rapha)
Rapha explained USAC’s pale new palette should provide athletes with a performance benefit.
“Balancing intentional aesthetics with functional performance, the pattern responds to a specific request from USA Cycling athletes for a lighter-coloured kit suited to hot conditions,” reads the note.
But while the iconic vertical red, white, and blue stripes are gone, Rapha says its new design is steeped in U.S. culture.
“USA Lightspeed type appears on the front and back of the jerseys, providing an immediate and easily recognisable way to identify the rider,” reads the note. “The designs incorporate a collegiate-style typeface, characteristic of American sports, accented with a stripe.”
Rapha’s redesign of the U.S. national kit will no doubt divide opinions, but that’s what the brand does.
Just scroll back through its skateboard-inspired “crazy-but-cool” designs for team EF Education-EastPost for a reminder.
Rapha hunts reboot after financial downturn
MTB star Kate Courtney does some casual stretches in her new Rapha kit. (Photo: Caroline Tompkins for Rapha)
This is the first year of a collaboration between Rapha and USAC that stretches through the Olympic cycle and into 2029. The British brand came in this winter after Cuore clothed U.S. riders since 2021.
For Rapha, the collaboration marks a pivotal moment as it looks to turn the page on years of financial losses and reputational downturn.
Rapha already this month shuttered a number of its flagship “Clubhouses” – including those in Boulder, Chicago, Miami, and Seattle – and partnered gravel king Cam Jones as part of a full business refresh.
The brand’s collaboration with USA Cycling should help it maintain a stake in the North American scene after the termination of its long partnership with the men’s and women’s EF Education-EasyPost WorldTour teams.
CEO Fran Millar reinforced Rapha’s commitment to cycling in the USA in a press note on Friday.
“This kit represents over a decade of world-class competition and innovation. We’ve left no stone unturned so that when USA Cycling athletes show up for their country, they can stand on the start line with total confidence,” she said.
“The starting pistol for L.A. has been fired and there is nothing more powerful for a sport than a home Games. The energy, the expectation, the history – Rapha will support American cycling to seize the opportunity with both hands.”
Rapha replaces Swiss brand Cuore with deal stretching through 2029. (Photo: Caroline Tompkins for Rapha)