News May 14 ^th 2019 - 15:07

The Yellow Jersey centenary : twenty unique specimens

To celebrate 100 years of the Yellow Jersey, at the end of each stage the leader of the general classification will receive a unique specimen. This morning at the brand’s factory located 2 hours east of Paris, Le Coq Sportif and the organisers of the Tour de France, in the presence of LCL, presented the twenty Yellow Jerseys that the riders will be battling for in July. The Atomium in Brussels, Reims Cathedral, the Lion of Belfort, the Place du Capitole in Toulouse, but also Eugène Christophe and the five-time winners of the Tour de France will be given pride of place on the Yellow Jersey.

The Yellow Jersey, which first appeared in the Tour de France pack on 19 July 1919 on the shoulders of Eugène Christophe, who led the general classification until the day before the finish, has acquired the status of a special trophy in the world of sport. The riders who win the privilege to wear it one hundred years later will also enjoy the honour of putting on unique specimens customised with the route of each stage on which they wear it. As a result, it is most likely to be a sprinter who will proudly puff his chest out on the evening of 6 July in a Yellow Jersey featuring the Atomium, the symbol of the City of Brussels. The provisional GC will probably change later in the race before the pack heads towards the Alps, with a Yellow Jersey dedicated to the Pont du Gard aqueduct. Naturally, the most sought-after jersey will be awarded in Val Thorens on the evening of the penultimate stage, after which the almost certain winner of the 106th edition will make his entrance onto the Champs-Elysées wearing a jersey on which the Arc de Triomphe will aptly symbolise victory.

Among the rare jerseys made by Le Coq Sportif, one sole specimen will be personalised every evening with the rider’s name and the title of the stage on which he will wear it. The replica version available from retailers will be based on three visuals: the Atomium, a mountain landscape and the Arc de Triomphe.

For the 2019 edition, the Yellow Jerseys worn each day by the race leader are made in France at the Le Coq Sportif factory in Romilly-sur-Seine. The brand’s know-how and its specialists will be present on each stage alongside the leader of the Tour de France.

Marc-Henri Beausire, C.E.O le coq sportif : « Our partnership with the Tour de France makes sense when you live these moments with these great champions and millions of people on the roadsides of France. This year it is with even more interest that our Romilly sur Seine employees will follow this edition as the jerseys worn by the leaders are coming from of our factory from the Aube Department. »

Christian Prudhomme, Director of Tour de France : « The jerseys are unique this year because each jersey is different and features either the race routes or the champions that have contributed to the history of the Tour de France. We will leave from Brussels where the first Yellow Jersey will feature the Atomium, the last will feature the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées, while others will feature a portrait of Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain for example. It will be something really special for the 100th anniversary of the Yellow Jersey. In a few years’ time, we will still be able to say: ‘This Yellow Jersey was on this stage because it features Eugene Christophe, the first rider to wear the Yellow Jersey in the history of the Tour de France – 19 July 1919 – 19 July 2019, in Pau.’ Eugene Christophe will be featured on the Yellow Jersey. »

Stage 2 :

Bruxelles Palais Royal - Bruxelles Atomium :

The Atomium has already enjoyed pride of place for a Grand Départ before, in Brussels in 1958, the same year as the World Fair.

Stage 3 :

Binche – Epernay :

Eddy Merckx won the first of his five triumphs on Le Tour 50 years ago.

Stage 4 :

Reims – Nancy :

Reims Cathedral has witnessed the coronation of French Kings… as well as many sprinters on the Tour de France.

Stage 5 :

Saint-Dié-des-Vosges – Colmar :

Jacques Anquetil, the first rider to win Le Tour five times, revolutionised the sport of cycling.

Stage 6 :

Mulhouse - La Planche des Belles Filles :

On the flat, in towns or the mountains, the pack on the Tour de France is always ready to meet the spectators.

Stage 7 :

Belfort - Chalon-sur-Saône :

The Lion of Belfort, a sculpture by Auguste Bartholdi, to whom we owe the Statue of Liberty in New-York. This is where Eddy Merckx first put on the Yellow Jersey and kept it all the way to Paris in 1969.

Stage 8 :

Mâcon - Saint-Etienne :

Bernard Hinault, a five-time Tour de France winner, is also the last Frenchman to win the race. A blood-stained Bernard Hinault finishes in Saint-Étienne.

Stage 9 :

Saint-Etienne – Brioude :

The Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Étienne, nicknamed the cauldron, is also part of France’s sporting heritage.

Stage 10 :

Saint-Flour – Albi :

The Sainte-Cécile Cathedral in Albi is the largest brick-made building in the world.

Stage 11 :

Albi – Toulouse :

Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain are the members of the exclusive club of five-time winners on the Tour de France.

Stage 12 :

Toulouse - Bagnères-de-Bigorre :

The Place du Capitole in Toulouse, one of France’s largest squares.

Stage 13 :

Pau – Pau :

Eugène Christophe was the first rider to wear the Yellow Jersey in 1919… He lost it the day before the race finished.

Stage 14 :

Tarbes - Tourmalet Barèges :

Since the first climb of the Col du Tourmalet in 1910, the pack has climbed the Pyrenean Giant 82 times.

Stage 15 :

Limoux - Foix Prat d'Albis :

Miguel Indurain is the sole rider to have won the Tour de France five times consecutively.

Stage 16 :

Nîmes – Nîmes :

The arenas in Nîmes come alive when the Feria festival takes place, but they have also played host to the Davis Cup as well as the riders on La Vuelta.