News & Features

CTT & Kalas Renew Partnership for 2021

Building on the success of 2020 we are delighted to confirm Kalas will continue to supply RTTC National Champions jerseys for our events throughout 2021. Some of our members will be very familiar with Kalas as providers of their club kit for many years. However, for those of you interested to learn more about their fascinating history here is a little insight into the origins of one of the most established kit providers in the world and some of the reasons why we wanted to work with them. 

Cycling Time Trials (CTT) are delighted that as they near their centenary in 2022, having been a proving ground for many of the best British time trial riders, they are also welcoming a partnership with a company who has provided clothing to some of the best riders in the world.  We hope that we will have a long, happy and strong working relationship.

Performance and innovation

From humble beginnings in 1990 and a spark of an idea of how to create extra funds for their local cycling club, Kalas has become a leading innovator of high-performance technical cycle wear. Now into their second four-year partnership, Kalas work in collaboration with the Great Britain Cycling Team to deliver the fastest possible kit, with a focus on improved aerodynamics for track and time trial events.

Kalas also supply kit to men’s team Alpecin-Fenix, which includes multiple cyclo-cross world champion Mathieu Van der Poel and women’s team Plantur-Pura, which features cyclo-cross world champions Ceylin del Alvarado and Sanne Cant.

Born from a passion for cycling

Kalas was founded in 1990 by two partners. Čestmír Kalas, a former Czechoslovak cyclist and successful coach of several world champions was joined by business partner Mrs Filipova. Their original objective was simply to provide funds for their local cycling club. Together they formed a formidable team, each with complementary skills, and the company quickly became established.

For the first five years their factory worked exclusively with Assos, producing cycling kit for the prestigious Swiss brand. In 1995 the decision was made to break away from Assos and launch the Kalas brand. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength, becoming a leading producer of custom designed kit, with offices all over the world.

Community and environment

After 30 years trading, Kalas remains a family business, rooted in its hometown of Tábor, in the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic, where over 250 highly skilled people are employed from the local community. Followers of cyclo-cross may already be aware that Tábor is renowned as the “Mecca” of Czech cycling and has been home to many UCI World Cup events, where Čestmír Kalas has been a key member of the organising committees.

Owning their own facility delivers many advantages to customers. Producing everything “under-one-roof” means less movement of goods, which reduces the carbon footprint, enables better quality control, and ensures a faster production process. As a company born out of a passion for cycling, Kalas are conscious of their obligation towards preserving a cycle-friendly environment for us all to enjoy. Consequently, they only use environmentally friendly inks and the latest energy-efficient technologies.

Kalas have had an office in the South West of the UK for many years and employ a small, dedicated team, who are located throughout the country. UK customers deal with Kalas UK, ensuring there are no additional import duties or delays as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to discuss your custom kit requirements with Kalas please provide them your details via this link and their representative will be in contact soon.

http://bit.ly/KalasCustomEnquiry