The best cycling kits of 2026 Colours, patterns and designs to stand out in the peloton

Like every sport, cycling is shaping an increasingly distinctive aesthetic of its own. For the 2026 season, brands have unveiled new kits that, while first and foremost meeting the technical demands and performance needs of riders, do not overlook the visual dimension. Once functional constraints are addressed, the focus shifts to aesthetics through the careful selection of colors, patterns, and graphic motifs. We’ve selected some of the most compelling kits from both professional and emerging cycling scenes, ranging from WorldTour teams – men’s and women’s – to squads competing in the lower tiers.

The UCI System: How Professional Cycling Categories Work

The system introduced by the Union Cycliste Internationale establishes a three-tier structure that determines access to the sport’s most prestigious events, from the Classics to the Grand Tours. The categories are UCI WorldTeams, UCI ProTeams, and UCI Continental Teams. To define the elite of global cycling, the UCI calculates the points earned by each team’s top ten riders over a three-season span, with 2026 marking the beginning of a new cycle running through 2028. The 18 teams with the highest score are awarded the coveted WorldTeam license. Sporting results, however, are only part of the equation: registration also requires compliance with ethical, financial, and administrative standards. A similar mechanism governs the women’s peloton, structured into UCI Women’s WorldTeams, UCI Women’s ProTeams, and UCI Women’s Continental Teams, reflecting an increasingly defined and competitive framework within the women’s movement.

The 2026 Calendar: Classics, Grand Tours, and International Championships

The season comes alive on March 7 with Strade Bianche, opening the Classics calendar for both men and women, followed by Milano-Sanremo on March 21 and Paris-Roubaix on April 12. The Ardennes trilogy – Amstel Gold Race (April 19), La Flèche Wallonne (April 22), and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 26) – will close out the spring Classics chapter, once again with both men’s and women’s editions. Attention then shifts to the Grand Tours: the men’s Giro d’Italia runs from May 8 to 31, followed by the Giro d’Italia Women from May 30 to June 7. The men’s Tour de France takes place from July 4 to 26, with the women’s edition scheduled from August 1 to 9. La Vuelta a España will be held from August 22 to September 13, while La Vuelta Femenina is set for May 3 to 10. The season concludes with the World Championships in Canada from September 20 to 27 and the European Championships in Slovenia from October 3 to 7, closing a year that promises spectacle across every terrain.

The Best Cycling Kits of 2026

With the rules clarified and the key dates of the 2026 calendar marked, it’s time to turn our attention to the jerseys. We’ve selected the 10 teams that impressed us most with their stylistic choices, where performance meets a distinctly fashion-forward vision.

NSN Cycling Team

One of the major additions to the new WorldTour season is NSN Cycling Team, founded by Andrés Iniesta, which steps in to replace Israel-Premier Tech. The race kit, designed by Stijn Dossche of stycle.design and produced by Ekoï, is a vibrant multicolored composition blending geometric patterns inspired by the city of Barcelona.

Swatt Club Racing Team

After turning heads in 2025 with Filippo Conca’s victory at the Italian National Championships, Swatt Club Racing Team sheds its skin. The all-white look evolves into a kit that preserves the central white band, now elevated with a bold blue stripe across the upper section and a softer red accent fading into the lower half. A special mention goes to the gravel squad’s uniform, defined by a psychedelic blue and violet pattern layered over a crisp white base.

INEOS Grenadiers

INEOS Grenadiers also surprised the peloton with a bold chromatic shift, developed in collaboration with sponsor Gobik. The 2026 kit introduces a livelier palette, pairing a jersey split between orange and white with matching bib shorts. A deliberately redefined visual identity, conceived to stand out from the bunch and remain instantly recognizable both on screen and roadside.

EF Education–EasyPost

The aesthetic remains consistent for both EF squads, EF Education–EasyPost and EF Education-Oatly. Pink continues to dominate, but it’s the national champion jerseys that truly command attention. Crafted by ASSOS of Switzerland, these editions reinterpret national flags, folding and reshaping them to merge seamlessly with the team’s original graphic language.

Team AMANI

Cycling had never seen anything quite like this. Rapha signs Team AMANI’s 2026 kit, unveiling it through a groundbreaking editorial shoot rarely witnessed in the sport. A visual narrative celebrating African heritage through color, light, and striking new perspectives.

Lidl-Trek

A modern, instantly recognizable reinterpretation of the team’s identity and competitive energy. Santini pens a new chapter in its collaboration with Lidl-Trek, delivering a kit that remains faithful to Lidl’s signature vibrant aesthetic while carving out a refreshed visual language—more geometric, yet simultaneously more refined and luminous.

Soudal

Soudal and Castelli move against the current with a navy blue kit punctuated by phosphorescent lime details. The jersey disrupts expectations through the placement of these accents, dispersed across the surface without a regular rhythm, yet ultimately composed—injecting personality and sharp character.

SD Worx-Protime

SD Worx-Protime is also among the teams refreshing its look. After the purple that defined its 2025 season, the squad now embraces a richer chromatic palette. Warm and cool tones alternate—at times forming sharp geometric shapes, at others dissolving into refined, seamless gradients.

Unibet Rockets

The Unibet Rockets’ aesthetic is defined by bold, vibrant, high-impact colors, evoking the image of an American NBA franchise. The jersey centers around a purple gradient layered over a vivid light-blue base, while the sleeves feature irregular striping alternating between purple and shocking pink. A statement look.

Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto

Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto also leans into high-saturation hues. Its kit features a dynamic fusion of blue, light blue, and orange elements distributed across the jersey’s surface. A subtle evolution from last season’s concept, when pink dominated the palette.