Rapha Aerosuit

£230, rapha.cc

You may remember a photo of Chris Froome that circulated around the internet last year – and Rapha won’t thank us for reminding you – that showed his severely sunburnt back in the pattern of Rapha’s Team Sky mesh skinsuit. Despite that embarrassment, the lure of marginal gains is so strong that Rapha has made a skinsuit for the masses, only with a little more modesty, and a lot more protection from the sun.

The Aerosuit uses the Pro Team Lightweight bibs as the lower section, while the top half is basically the Pro Team Aero Jersey with sections of the same mesh as used with the Team Sky skinsuit. Rapha designer Graeme Raeburn explains that comfort is as much the priority as aerodynamics: ‘Without layered bib straps, the stress is dissipated through the highly stretched, close-fit shoulders – it feels like it’s barely there. Additionally the pockets are super stable and supported, meaning there’s no twist in the top when loaded. It’s simpler.’

The chevron motif on the Aerosuit was created in conjunction with design studio Accept & Proceed, and is based on a graphic representation of the performance data of Team Sky rider Peter Kennaugh during the 2013 Tour de France. The length and width of the chevrons represent the distance, intensity and elevation gain of each stage of the Tour.

With the advantages of a one-piece construction, Rapha could produce more variations, Raeburn suggests: ‘Team Sky have a few versions for different conditions, so depending on demand, we might see this translate into versions for different environments.’