Ok, here’s a question:
Why is the leaders jersey “Yellow”?
What is the history of this?
If I remember correctly, as I have heard the explaination before somewhere, was so that the leader of the Tour would stand out. It may have also been because of the French newspaper that originally sponsored the Tour, something to do with their official color or the paper it was printed on.
If someone can clarify this, please do.
What I found in a Google search:
Q: What is the Maillot Jaune?
A: French for yellow jersey. The race leader’s jersey. Got it’s start when l’Auto, the founding sponsor of the Tour, dreamed up a leader’s jersey in the same colors as its trademark yellow pages. l’Auto is now l’Equipe, the French sports daily, and the tradition carries on at the Giro d’Italia, with a pink jersey (the maglia rosa) for the pink pages of sponsor and Italian sports daily, Gazzetta dello Sport.
Introduced on July 19, 1919, the jersey is yellow because the sports newspaper L’Equipe, the prime sponsor of the race, is printed on yellow newsprint.
You people Rock!
Should I even ask :
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Why the “Green Jersey”?
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Why the “Polka Dot Jersey”?
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Why the “White Jersey”?
Yes, what’s the story with the polka dots?
I read somewhere that the sponsor of the climber’s prize was (maybe still is) a candy company whose signature wrappers were (and maybe still are) white with red polka-dots.
I read at the same time that the sponsor of the sprinter’s prize was a gardening/farming company, so that jersey is green.
Okay. Here’s what I found from a Google search:
Green
In 1953, the Tour directors decided to mark the leader in the Points Classification with a Green Jersey. According to the Tour organisation, green is the color of hope. However, in 1968 the jersey was red, in order to please that year’s sponsor of the Points Classification.
Polka Dot
The Tour organizers did not begin recognizing the top climbers until the King of the Mountains classification was first calculated in 1933. Spaniard Vicente Trueba was the 1st winner. In 1934, it became an official category and the prize was awarded to Framce’s Rene Vietto. It wasn’t until 1975 that Polka Dot Jersey was created and awarded. The sponsor was chocolate maker Poulain, whose wrappers were polka dot.
White
Haven’t found any explanantions for why it’s white, yet.
To add to the questions; What is the significance of the Lion being handed out to the yellow jersey wearer? Also, I have noticed that Lance kisses the women once on each cheek and others (maybe French?) kiss twice on each cheek? No one has to answer the second one, but would love to know the answer to the first. Good stuff!
The lion is the emblem of the current sponsor, French bank, Credit Lyonnais…whose color is also yellow.
SO I take it that they have done it for quite some time because Phil said that Armstrong has 63 of those Lion’s or was he just being pretty general with that?
Yes, since 1987 from the official tour page:
Crédit Lyonnais rode its first bike 24 years ago now. In 1987, Crédit Lyonnais became the main sponsor of the “Yellow Jersey”, mythical reward of the winner of the Tour de France.
Throughout the year, Crédit Lyonnais sponsors some of the most famous cycling races: the Critérium International, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Picardie, the Tour du Languedoc Roussillon, the Tour de France, the Tour de l’Avenir and the Tour of Burkina-Faso.
Also of interest for history and rules surrounding the various jerseys:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France#The_Jerseys
I especially found interesting the timeline of overall winners of the TdF.
Excellent stuff. Thank you very much.
awesome thread full of answers. I have more questions…how do they get the jersey’s ready so quickly after the stages with the sponsors on them to the leaders? They must have these ready ahead of time or ?
craigwsullivan said:
"Believe it or not, they use an IRON ON PATCH!
“They have the jersey waiting at the finish, figure out the team, iron on the team’s logo. Voila!”
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=148972;search_string=search_string;#148972