Two weeks after confirming its departure from the WorldTour, iconic cycling brand Rapha has announced a new partnership with USA Cycling, marking a strategic shift toward national programs, Olympic ambitions and growth in the U.S. market.
The four-year agreement will see Rapha outfit Team USA’s Olympic, Paralympic and National Team athletes from 2026 through 2029. The collaboration aims to help usher in a self-proclaimed “golden age” for American cycling, combining elite performance goals with a drive to broaden participation.
“This is a bold move for Rapha, and USA Cycling shares our intention for the partnership to stand for far more than a jersey; it represents a shared dream for the future of the sport.”
The partnership extends Rapha’s reach into new disciplines, including track and BMX, while USA Cycling sharpens its focus on delivering 10 medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
“We are entering a golden age for American cycling, and Rapha can be a catalyst for that,” said Brendan Quirk, CEO and President of USA Cycling.
“From aerodynamics to thermal regulation, we are relentlessly pursuing every potential advantage for Team USA. Rapha is synonymous with innovation at the pinnacle of the sport and can match our ambition. We know that our athletes will be at their best when they compete in Rapha.”
A teaser tee as seen in Bentonville
(Image credit: Rapha)
Founded by Simon Mottram in 2004, Rapha is a British brand long associated with the European road-cycling scene. Yet its ties to the United States are substantial. The company opened its first American Clubhouse in San Francisco in 2008, and the market now accounts for over 20 percent of its global revenue. And, notably, Rapha is majority-owned by RZC Investments, the private firm founded by Steuart and Tom Walton, heirs to the Walmart family fortune. The Waltons have long sought to expand cycling’s reach in the U.S. through investments in infrastructure, events and brands (including Wahoo, Allied Cycle Works and Rapha), and particularly in their home state of Arkansas, where Rapha has relocated parts of its U.S. operations. In many ways, this new partnership with USA Cycling represents an evolution of those ties.
It was also in Bentonville, Arkansas, home of the Waltons, that fans got an early hint of the partnership at Big Sugar Gravel over the weekend, where USA Cycling athletes helped staff Rapha’s Mobile Service Course.
This new partnership represents Rapha’s biggest commitment to the sport in North America to date, but it is not the first time the company has worked with USA Cycling. The two previously collaborated on Search for Speed, a 2023 talent-identification program supported by The Rapha Foundation and designed to uncover and develop diverse new track-cycling talent for the Los Angeles Games. More than 3,000 participants took part, with several now training with the national team.
Team USA will finish out the year racing in Cuore kit, and the first Rapha × Team USA kit is set to debut in January 2026.
