Between 6 and 8 October, a river of pink and purple rolled 204 miles across Wales, from Caernarfon Castle in the north to Cardiff Castle in the south. This was Castle to Castle: The Dragon’s Spine, Team Admiral Impact’s Million Makers 2026 challenge for The King’s Trust, which is celebrating 50 years of changing young lives.
We were lucky enough to make the kit. Here’s how it came together, from the first brief to the finish-line hugs.
The brief: six castles, one very big dragon
Castle to Castle wasn’t one ride, it was five. Riders could pick their stage, from the Eryri Epic to the Borderland Brave, the Bannau Breakthrough, the Taff Trailblazer and the Dragon’s Tail, with new riders joining the group as it worked its way south. Six castles, mountains, valleys and a lot of Welsh road, with everyone fundraising for The King’s Trust along the way.
Admiral wanted kit that gave the whole thing one identity. Something riders would be proud to pull on, that looked the part in photos, and that gave their sponsors a proper home.
Designing for a sea of colour
Our designer Trevor started by reading everything Admiral sent over about the event. The detail that stuck was riders joining along the route: by the final stages this would be a big group riding together. So rather than designing a jersey in isolation, he designed for the crowd. Picture drone footage of a sea of bright colour travelling through green valleys. That’s also why green was off the table from day one: in Wales, it would have disappeared into the hills.
The first concept pack showed Admiral a handful of colour directions on groups of riders, so they could see how each would look on the road rather than on a flat render. Trevor also kept the detailed artwork to the back of the jersey, so nothing fights with the front zip, and threw in accessory and event tee ideas to show how far the look could stretch.
Sign-off: a gradient front, sponsors on the back
Admiral loved the gradient option, a pink that fades into a deep purple, and the front was signed off within days. We kept it clean on purpose: the Stolen Goat logo on one side and the Admiral Impact logo on the other, matched in size.
The back took a little more thought. The early design carried a big illustrated route map with the dragon’s spine running down it, and while Admiral liked it, their priority was clear: the prime real estate belongs to the sponsors. So we reworked it. The sponsor logos became the main event, the route was simplified, and The Dragon’s Spine moved down to the hem with Caernarfon and Cardiff marking the start and finish.
We also built Admiral a sponsor mock-up they could take straight to potential backers, showing exactly where each logo would sit depending on the level of sponsorship. It turned a “would you like to sponsor us?” conversation into “here’s where your name goes”, and Trevor turned it around the same day.
Into production
With the sponsors still being confirmed, we didn’t want the clock to stall. The base design and sizing went into production early, the final artwork followed once the last logos landed in late August, and the finished kit was with the team ahead of the start. The full set was our Ibex Everyday short sleeve jersey with matching socks, plus a hand with the artwork for the event signage so the start and finish looked like they belonged to the same story.
The ride
The weather played ball, and the photos speak for themselves. Groups riding in formation through the mountain passes, a wall of pink rolling into Bute Park, and a finish under the walls of Cardiff Castle with medals, cheering crowds and more than a few hugs. Watching kit we designed on a screen turn into this is, honestly, the best bit of the job.
In their words
“Stolen Goat have been incredible kit partners throughout our Castle to Castle journey. Their creativity, insight and attention to detail brought our brief to life brilliantly, with the matching jerseys and socks giving the event a bold, unique identity and a real sense of team spirit. The whole customisation process was smooth, collaborative and genuinely enjoyable from start to finish. The final kit exceeded our expectations and helped make the event feel truly special and memorable. We couldn’t recommend Stolen Goat highly enough.”
Peter Olivier, Castle to Castle Challenge, Admiral Group
Thank you, Pete, and to everyone at Team Admiral Impact. Doing good things with nice people is where it’s at, and we’d happily do it all again.
Support the cause
Every pound raised helps young people build the confidence, skills and opportunities they need to succeed. If you’d like to get behind the riders, you can donate to the Castle to Castle Challenge for The King’s Trust here.
Got an event of your own?
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Photos courtesy of Team Admiral Impact.