L39ION drops new kit inspired by Tulsa, Oklahoma to support CYCLE Kids

L39ION of Los Angeles is dropping a new Rapha kit inspired by the Tulsa Tough criterium and its namesake city, and it’s for a good cause.

The first $43,000 in sales of the collection, which is available now, will be donated to CYCLE Kids, helping grassroots cycling programs in schools.

The collection features an oil slick design inspired by the streets of crit races, the specialty of L39ION. And in recognition of Tulsa, the collection is a collaboration with local clothing brand Greenwood Ave, a Black-owned business. 

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Home to the Tulsa race massacre in 1921, which left a Black neighborhood leveled with dozens killed and hundreds hospitalized, Tulsa carries a dark history.

L39ION aims to acknowledge that history through the kit, including a graphic referencing Black Wall Street and the area that was destroyed just over a century ago. At the same time, the collection is about Black success and celebrating the potential of the future, said the team. 

“When we think about Tulsa, we think about what could have been,” said L39ION co-founder Justin Williams. “A community full of opportunities for minorities that was uprooted by hate and ignorance. We are proud to elevate and support Greenwood Avenue in its quest to help Black Wall Street thrive again and the ideology of Black ownership.”

The kit collection is comprised of both the Rapha Pro Team Crit Jersey and Pro Team Training Jersey, each available in men’s and women’s cuts. The crit jersey retails for $250 while the training jersey is $130. Socks and a cycling cap are also available for $23 each. Everything is available in Rapha’s stores and website.

You don’t need to buy a kit to help fund CYCLE Kids though. The team has also set up a donation page to directly contribute money to the program that works with elementary schools on a curriculum focused on riding bikes and proper nutrition.