Castelli threeseason kit

Alpha ROS jersey, £210, LW bibtights, £125, saddleback.co.uk

By Castelli’s standards, this new kit may look rather low-key, but there is still plenty of clever stuff going on inside.

‘The “ROS” suffix for the Alpha name stands for “Rain or Shine” because we wanted to create a garment that the rider could decide to wear based purely on temperature, because it performs equally as well regardless of weather conditions,’ says Richard Mardle, senior brand manager for Castelli at its UK distributor Saddleback.

The front panels of the jersey use Gore’s Windstopper 150 fabric treated with a DWR coating, while the rear is a new version of Castelli’s Nanoflex fabric, called Xtra Dry. Despite being almost as protective as the Windstopper sections, Xtra Dry is allegedly more breathable and supple, which helps to improve the fit and feel of the jersey.

The LW bibtights, according to Mardle, ‘make the shorts-plus-warmers combo obsolete. They have a thermal upper section and a thin but Nanoflextreated lower.’ That means your biggest working muscles should be kept warm while your lower legs are protected, without any unnecessary bulk that can restrict movement. As an added bonus, you get to look like a weatherproof ninja.