The new maglia azzurra is being renewed in sponsors and color schemes. Today in the Lombardy Region, in the presence of national and regional federation leaders, technical commissioners and representatives of Coni Lombardia, Polstrada and technical sponsors, the jersey that will be worn by all our cycling national teams in 2026 was unveiled, starting in the coming days at the Track World Cup in Hong Kong, followed by the young Italian selection that will race the Tour of the Alps. Up to, of course, the most prestigious events concentrated towards the end of the season.

The livery has been renewed with two additional elements in particular: sleeves in a darker blue compared to the traditional light blue of the rest of the jersey, with tricolor band on the edge; and the Italian Cycling Federation emblem repeated in watermark across the entire jersey. The idea that the governing body of Italian cycling wants to convey is that of a "change of pace" symbolized by the graphic renewal.

A detail that is not just a detail: inside the collar will be written Sicuri in Bici (Safe on Bikes). This is the slogan around which, even more than on the jersey itself, F.C.I. president Cordiano Dagnoni spoke: "On the safety issue, we established a working group in recent months that involved every single component of the movement, from athletes to judges and so on, to develop proposals to bring to parliamentary groups. Inserting Safe on Bikes on the Italian jersey means spreading the message of respect for traffic laws and cyclists on roads and in places all over the world. Our greatest objective is to allow anyone, from the youngest to amateurs, to be safe when cycling on the road. This is not a game for us, but a sport. Not everyone who cycles in their daily life is registered as a cyclist, but we'll work on that..."

A cryptic reference that was partly picked up by the "host" Federica Picchi, Undersecretary for Sport and Youth of Lombardy: "We'll talk more about this aspect of registrations later, in the meantime we welcome with emotion prestigious moments like today's, which must encourage us on the safety front. A theme that also involves sports facilities, on which we have just launched the largest ever call for proposals in Lombardy. The Italian jersey is a symbol born in 1911 and, if we don't consider running and gym, cycling is effectively the most practiced sport in our country and about a quarter of practitioners are in our region".

To seal the focus on safety, the screening of a spot about the one and a half meter distance that will be broadcast on Rai tv soon.

After that, naturally, the unveiling of the jersey: Dagnoni proudly recalled how it represents "la Squadra" called that way, in Italian, even by foreign delegations; Picchi said she was honored to "host" this presentation alongside a super champion like Elia Viviani. Yes, because it was above all the current Italian team manager who drew thunderous applause: "In my new role I'd like to pass on the Italian jersey to the new generations, to the boys who will represent our country in international competitions, not only in races, but from when you leave home until you return, on every plane you take... We have the best technical sponsors in the world and we always manage to reach levels of competitiveness that give us an advantage over our competitors. I like to see a touch of novelty and elegance with the 'barely visible' federal logos and the differentiated color scheme. At home I have the collection of all the Italian jerseys I've worn, starting from the 2005 one when I was still a junior, I'm particularly proud of it. The Italian jersey is a 'safe haven' where I've always found a solid foundation in various moments of my career. The F.C.I. must and wants to be a safe haven for all athletes in our movement, we are their Team, and they must earn this jersey with sweat and sacrifice. I've experienced that adrenaline rush, now I'll experience another one trying to pass on to young riders what I experienced".

Then came a quartet of sponsors. Starting with who made the jersey. So Alessio Cremonese, CEO of the MVC group of which Castelli is part: "We can pride ourselves on working hard to give the boys even just one extra watt with a single seam. In our company we still have a body suit of Elia's from when he won Olympic gold and thanked us for helping him become the fastest man in the world. The spirit is to help professionals but cascading down to the entire movement. For us it's the new chapter of a story that started with Sportful in 2002".

Followed by a trio of new sponsors. Starting with Skoda, which strengthens its path within cycling already established through synergies for example with the Tour and La Vuelta. So the brand manager for Italy, Andrea Calcagni: "For us it's a real pleasure to be so close to cycling, given that Skoda started by producing bicycles and only later moved to cars. We are the second best-selling automotive brand in Europe and we are part of the Volkswagen group, now we have the honor of being on the Italian jersey. We hope this partnership can tell new and great emotions. We couldn't miss the opportunity to participate in this pride of being Italian through cycling!"

For eVISO, CEO Lucia Fracassi: "The company was born in Piedmont in 2012 and created an artificial intelligence platform applied to various commodities, particularly energy. We recognized in President Dagnoni a shared vision with our values, those of wanting to be present in every centimeter and in every situation, with courage. On the back of the jersey is the logo of our Eviso Giro app, which allows you to save on your bill (if you have eViso as your electricity and gas provider) by producing kilowatt-hours in your sporting activity. Through cycling we get closer to people and the results they bring home every day".

Finally, Joma. Commercial director Alessandro Annibale: "After our experiences in football, tennis, marathons and more, for our sports clothing brand cycling is a new beginning. We'll dress athletes, coaches and everyone who gravitates around National teams and the Federation in their free time, or in any case outside of races and training. We're also pleased that this means dressing regional committees and local clubs. We do and will do our best to ensure that the image of Italian cycling is of the highest level".

There is no shortage of a final suggestion launched from the audience by our colleague Sandro Brambilla: that of a different jersey between flagship events and other events, reserving the "main" Italian jersey only for flagship events. A suggestion to which President Dagnoni, closing the press conference and calling on Castelli, does not completely close the door.