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Rapha celebrate Rio 2016's least likely hero with limited edition Namibia jersey

New top lets you sport the Dan Craven look ... but you'll need to grow your own beard...

Perhaps the least likely hero of this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio was Namibia’s Dan Craven, who was featured in the press around the world after he apparently live-tweeted the road race – while riding in it. Now, you can buy the striking Rapha kit that the British firm produced for him.

> Twitter abuzz as Namibia’s Dan Craven ‘live tweets’ Olympic road race – while riding it!

It turned out that it was the 33-year-old’s girlfriend who had taken over his Twitter account, posting a stream of witty and engaging tweets that helped enliven the race for those following it on TV as well as social media.

Ahead of Rio, where Namibia also had competitors in the women’s road race and mountain biking events – Craven, who rode for Rapha-Condor-Sharp from 2009-11, and took part in the road race at London 2012, turned to Rapha to source kit. 

The resulting jersey is based on the colours of the Namibian flag, and also has on its back the golden sun emblem that appears on it, and has now been released by Rapha as a limited edition jersey, with a cap also available. Some of the proceeds will be donated to the Namibian Cycling Federation.

Craven, who in 2012 blogged a three-part training diary for road.cc, has also written an engaging post for Rapha detailing his adventures in Brazil this summer, which didn’t finish with the Olympic road race.

With several riders pulling out of the time trial four days later, Craven was invited to take part and did so after canvassing his followers on Twitter, despite not having a time trial bike or aero equipment with him. He was the last of the 35 finishers, but spent time in the ‘hot seat’ before the big guns, including eventual winner Fabian Cancellara, came out.

The jersey costs £130, while the cap is £25, with a cut of the proceeds being donated to the Namibian Cycling Federation.

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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13 comments

Avatar
tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
1 like

I think Pete76 should buy me one so he can have a good laugh at the pics.

 

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Leviathan replied to tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
0 likes

unconstituted wrote:

I think Pete76 should buy me one so he can have a good laugh at the pics.

 

Only if it is 36" chest/30" waist.

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Johnnystorm | 7 years ago
1 like

I'm much more likely to be seen in a Namibian national jersey than a GB one as there's no way anyone could think I was suggesting I was up to the task of riding for Team GB.

Obviously a large enough number of people showed interest in one for Rapha to bother doing a run. At the time I tweeted I'd like one, but I was thinking of a Core level jersey like the Sky/Wiggo training jersey, not the pro team.  2

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riotgibbon | 7 years ago
2 likes

sorry, here it is ....

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riotgibbon | 7 years ago
0 likes

this is the ultimate Dan Craven photo, from the last Rapha supercross:

 

https://goo.gl/photos/5m4MKRqYJ2dRF4Zr9

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peted76 | 7 years ago
0 likes

Howdy guys look at my Namibian jersey, I look like that fella offa the Olympics who was a bit of an Eddie the Eagle character... you know Dan from Nam... the one who did the funny tweety stuff... Yes I know it wasn't actually him doing the tweeting.. Bit of a dude yes, that's him.. used to ride for Condor.. No I'm not from Nambia, no no relations there, never been actually, just like the colours. Wiggins? Yes it is a bit...  I suppose I could have got a Wiggins jersey instead... yay, thanks for pissing on my chips.

Hey guys, seen my new cap.......

 

 

 

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Leviathan replied to peted76 | 7 years ago
1 like

peted76 wrote:

Hey guys, seen my new cap.......

Is it a dutch one?

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Beatnik69 | 7 years ago
0 likes

'Back when I was in the war son...'

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Leviathan | 7 years ago
1 like

No one going to say that you can only earn this jersey by being chosen for the Namibian National Team? #jerseysnobs

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peted76 replied to Leviathan | 7 years ago
0 likes

Leviathan wrote:

No one going to say that you can only earn this jersey by being chosen for the Namibian National Team? #jerseysnobs

You can't really think that there'll be a big market for this jersey outside of Nambia though can you?

I don't think I know anyone who'd rock up to a ride wearing a jersey other than that of their own country on their backs, no matter how much of a cool hipster type they may aspire to be. 

 

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Boombang replied to peted76 | 7 years ago
2 likes

peted76 wrote:

You can't really think that there'll be a big market for this jersey outside of Nambia though can you?

And at 35% of the average Namibian's gross monthly earnings I'm not sure it'll sell that well there either.

Avatar
fenix replied to peted76 | 7 years ago
2 likes
peted76 wrote:

Leviathan wrote:

No one going to say that you can only earn this jersey by being chosen for the Namibian National Team? #jerseysnobs

You can't really think that there'll be a big market for this jersey outside of Nambia though can you?

I don't think I know anyone who'd rock up to a ride wearing a jersey other than that of their own country on their backs, no matter how much of a cool hipster type they may aspire to be. 

 

It's a jersey. That's all it is. It's not saying you're Namibian any more than a Peugeot says you've time travelled from the past.

If you like the look of it buy it. If not don't.

Its pretty but not for me. I'd not care if my pals wore it.

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tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
0 likes

Cool bloke, cool jersey.

 

 

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