Tuesday, 18 February 2025
The University of Nottingham has announced the launch of a new partnership with leading custom cycling apparel manufacturer Kalas, which will be supporting the performance ambitions of the university’s elite cyclists and triathletes as they eye a successful season ahead.
Under the new partnership Kalas will be supplying the university’s cycling and triathlon teams with custom-made club kit, including eight bespoke road race suits, to be worn by the newly created University of Nottingham Cycling Club (UoNCC) Racing Team, a student-led initiative which will provide racing and training support to eight riders within the performance cycling programme.
The road suits have been designed as part of a collaboration between Kalas, UoNCC and the team’s sponsors, and will be worn by the team throughout the season as they race across multiple disciplines, including road, track, grass track, MTB and Cyclocross.
Close up of the new Kalas race team suit
Born more than 30 years ago out of a passion for cycling, Kalas has a rich cycling heritage and prides itself on high quality and innovative products. Multiple Olympic and Paralympic champions have proudly worn Kalas kit to victory, but the company’s ethos embraces the importance of quality kit for all cyclists, whether they are amateur or pro performers.
Reflecting this – and to celebrate the new partnership - Kalas has also created a bespoke University of Nottingham cycling jersey showcasing its iconic Trent Building – meaning they can be snapped up and worn with pride by any student, staff, alumni or cycling enthusiast while on two wheels or none. The new jersey can be bought via Kalas' online shop.
Back view of the new University of Nottingham Kalas jersey
Jo Simpson, Chief Commercial Officer, University of Nottingham, said: “This is a fantastic new partnership for our university teams. Kalas’ long-standing experience of working with elite level sport allows our student athletes to benefit from the same marginal gains as world-leading competitors."
We want Nottingham to be the leader in innovation in sport. We will be working closely with Kalas to drive new levels of performance and understanding of sport at the very highest level.
Alex Tebbs, Country Manager UK, Kalas, said: "At Kalas, we are passionate about supporting the next generation of cyclists and triathletes, and universities play a crucial role in developing future talent. Our custom offering is ideally suited to institutions like the University of Nottingham, where high-performance sport is at the forefront.
“As the UK’s Sports University of the Year in 2024, Nottingham continues to set the standard in elite sport, and we are thrilled to be partnering with them to provide world-class kit that will help their athletes perform at their best. We look forward to seeing their teams push the limits in competition and are excited to support their journey on and off the bike."
The university’s cycling and triathlon teams are aiming high for the year ahead - both teams will target key BUCS Championships, including BUCS Track which takes place at the beginning of March at the teams’ home velodrome in Derby. After several years of increasingly strong results, UoNCC will aim to head the standings for both male and female teams and have a strong squad heading to the track.
Among these are Sports Scholars Eluned King, a Commonwealth Games medallist, and Tilly Gurney, Club President and current PhD student, a multiple national champion in grass track.
The Kalas suit developed for the university's elite triathletes and cyclists
The women’s team will be looking to emulate previous success, and retain their National titles in the Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit, bunch races and overall women’s team competition. Likewise, on the men’s side, the squad will aim to retain their hard-won Team Pursuit title, which they won in emphatic style at the Newport velodrome 12 months ago. To underpin these ambitions, Kalas have supported the club with custom-made skinsuits, which benefit from the latest technology in aerodynamics, in order to boost the team’s performance.
One of the key advantages of partnering with Kalas is their R&D collaboration with Vorteq, the leading specialists in cycling aerodynamics. This partnership ensures that Kalas custom kit benefits from cutting-edge technology designed to enhance performance. Tilly Gurney will be racing in a Kalas Project series suit for competitions—an Olympic-level skinsuit that has been worn by multiple cycling medallists, offering world-class aerodynamic advantages.
Tilly said: “When we were looking for a partner for this year, the emphasis was really on finding a company who wouldn’t only supply the kit but would be invested in putting back into the club. From the start, Kalas have been huge supporters of the club, including organising a stage race in June and supplying the jerseys.
“We are hugely proud to be racing in this new kit - the quality is outstanding, the colour matching and detailing is second to none."
I am excited to see how access to such high-standard kit and accessories like these helps to push us further and enhance our overall performance.
The women’s team will be looking to emulate previous success, and retain their National titles in the Team Pursuit, Individual Pursuit, bunch races and overall women’s team competition. Likewise, on the men’s side, the squad will aim to retain their hard-won Team Pursuit title, which they won in emphatic style at the Newport velodrome 12 months ago. To underpin these ambitions, Kalas have supported the club with custom-made skinsuits, which benefit from the latest technology in aerodynamics, in order to boost the team’s performance.
One of the key advantages of partnering with Kalas is their R&D collaboration with Vorteq, the leading specialists in cycling aerodynamics. This partnership ensures that Kalas custom kit benefits from cutting-edge technology designed to enhance performance. Tilly Gurney will be racing in a Kalas Project series suit for competitions—an Olympic-level skinsuit that has been worn by multiple cycling medallists, offering world-class aerodynamic advantages.
Tilly said: “When we were looking for a partner for this year, the emphasis was really on finding a company who wouldn’t only supply the kit but would be invested in putting back into the club. From the start, Kalas have been huge supporters of the club, including organising a stage race in June and supplying the jerseys.
“We are hugely proud to be racing in this new kit - the quality is outstanding, the colour matching and detailing is second to none. I am excited to see how access to such high-standard kit and accessories like these helps to push us further and enhance our overall performance.”
The UoNCC team also benefits from the university’s extensive sports infrastructure, with riders gaining access to world-class strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, nutrition, and sports psychology services.
Outside of racing, both the cycling and triathlon teams have big ambitions as race organisers, and are being supported by Kalas to achieve this. The Triathlon Club has revived Notts Tri, held on campus, whilst the Cycling Club has established itself as hosts of BUCS 10-mile TT, the Ronde Van Wymeswold stage race, and East Midlands Regional Championships. Kalas will act as a key supporting partner for these races, providing race leader jerseys and on the day prizes.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 24 in Europe and 15th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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