The Castelli Gabba Pro Edition jersey is remarkably similar to the standard – and highly regarded – Gabba jersey. In fact, aside from a beautiful presentation box and the fact that only 100 will be available, it is exactly the same – apart from one significant extra.
Packed inside the presentation box is a Staedler permanent marker – Castelli's way of 'hinting' that plenty of the Gabba line has found its way onto the backs of pro riders who are not sponsored by the Italian giants.
A permanent marker is included to black out those troublesome logos
Castelli told us that at last year's Milan-San-Remo, Ghent and Giro, the bad weather saw plenty of professional riders wearing Gabbas with the logos covered or coloured in, as it wouldn't do to promote a rival sponsor.
The Gabba is unique among cycling jerseys, because it is water resistant, windproof and still breathable. It's the ideal jersey for changeable weather, as has been seen in the early season classics. The jersey came from an idea by Cervélo Test Team rider Gabriel Rasch, hence the name 'Gabba' (as much as we'd like it to be named after The Ramones' call to arms).
The presentation box comes complete with quotes from pro riders including: 'Let's hope it rains on the way to Ghent tomorrow', 'The other teams hate it when it rains, we go to the front with our Gabbas', 'Rain, wind, cold I don't give a s**t I got my Gabba jersey'.
Quotes from the pros
The Gabba Pro Edition jersey will be available exclusively through Wiggle, and will cost £150.
