Giving our guests beautiful gifts is one of our favourite pastimes !
When touring with us, you are guaranteed to be showered with the finest quality and practical products.

One custom product is the GABBA, produced by our partners CASTELLI which is an option when coming on tour with us.

2020 marks the 10th Anniversary of this ICONIC product, a story which we will share with you

Every cyclist knows the heartache of ripping a rain jacket out when the sky opens up to try and protect themselves from the cold and wet... its painful, we know! And those from countries that tend to rain a little more, of course, gety frustrated a little more.

Way back in 2009 some wet weather riding experts got together to discuss this issue at the Brixia Tour with Castelli - in attendance were Norwegian Gabriel Rasch (now Sports Director at Team Ineos), Marcel Wyss from Switzerland, Belgian Serge Pauwels (who currently rides for CCC Team), Britons Jeremy Hunt (who runs DaybyDay Coaching), Dan Lloyd (GCN Legend and Presenter), Roger Hammond (former DS at Madison Genesis), and Irishman Phillip Deignan (former Team Ineos rider and now full-time father!).

These gentlemen all had one thing in common - they come from countries well known for their inclement weather!!

Back in 2009, the pro's were issued with the 'Pocket Liner' which was 100% waterproof not very breathable nor aerodynamic. Gabriel Rasch was in particular determined to develop something that wouldn't cause overheating, in his efforts he had created his own hacked up versions of the Pocket Liner to achieve this. Hence, Steve Smith (Castelli Brand Manager) and Andrea Peron (Castelli Race Performance Director) continued to work with Rasch in creating a more practical solution for wet and cold weather.

Castelli worked with GORE® to develop Windstopper® X-Lite Plus, a stretchy, breathable fabric designed to move with the body whilst realising that maybe the previous aim to completely block out every drop of rain was maybe too extreme..... may a small amount of moisture may be ok if the garment was breathable, aerodynamic and comfortable for the riders...??

We are now in 2010 - and the first GABBA is ready for the Cervélo Test Team to ride against the elements of nature - a lightweight, short sleeve, windproof and water-resistant garment with stretch and breathability
"We were all pretty surprised at how excited the riders were about this new weird piece of equipment. It was stealth black, short-sleeved and aero, and when the riders came to the first race everybody was looking at them, with nobody saying anything but probably thinking, “What is this? What is this?”

 The GABBA made its debut at  the 2010 season starters  Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne known for their harsh and not-so-kind weather conditions.

The GABBA was born - Gabriel’s nickname amongst the peloton!!

In 2011 the long-sleeve Gabba debuted the following spring and over the next few years, the pro's scrambled for the GABBA, blackening out the Castelli and Gabba logos as they were not sponsored by them! If this isn't the sign of a great product, I am not sure what is!

2013 Milan-San Remo - do you recall it?? March 17th, it's 104th Edition - unprecedented weather conditions - rain & snow amidst freezing weather conditions. It was also the 'day that serendipitously showcased the Gabba to a wider audience' as several pro's sported the GABBA with the iconic Scorpion logo scribbled out - yes, it was that day that the GABBA had become an ICON.

2016 the 3rd generation of the GABBA was released, confirming that this garment was a game changer for racing in cold and wet weather. It soon became the  'pro’s favorite piece of equipment with improved core protection and unmatched breathability even when the sun is shining'

2020 the 10 year anniversary of this revolutionary product, Castelli launch the 4th generation of the GABBA including the new 'Blackout Collection' which has the logos already removed for the pro's ;-)

Maglia Nera Tours provides the Custom GABBA garment to it's guests as a gift option when touring with us.

If you are interested in purchasing our GABBA, please email us at : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Information Sources

• https://blog.castelli-cycling.com/2019/09/10/the-blackout-collection/
• https://www.castelli-cycling.com/us/gabba
• https://blog.wiggle.co.uk/castelli-gabba-%E2%80%93-story-design-classic-0v