Cycling jersey

Commercial version of maillot jaune, 2004

A cycling jersey is a specialized jersey (shirt) for cycling. While the vast majority of cyclists worldwide wear conventional clothing while riding, a jersey offers certain advantages for the serious cyclist. A cycling jersey is cut long in the back to accommodate the bent-over position used in serious cycling. Any pockets on the jersey are placed on the back panel as front pockets would tend to spill. The zipper, on a men's jersey at least, is often made very long so that the cyclist can open up the jersey when he gets hot. The cycling jersey is usually worn with a tight fit in order to reduce air resistance. Jerseys are made from a material designed to wick moisture from the skin, keeping the cyclist cooler and more comfortable.

Professional cycling is heavily sponsored; the traditional cycling jersey is printed with the logos of a cycling team's few sponsors.

Origin

The best known jerseys are probably the yellow jersey from the Tour de France and the pink jersey from the Giro d'Italia. These jerseys were given the same color as the paper their original main sponsors (both sports newspapers) were printed on: yellow and pink paper, respectively. Many other jerseys are colored or designed after a sponsor's logo, and some jerseys change color when a new sponsor is found.

Overview of jerseys

Multi-day courses

Course	General leader	Points leader	Mountain leader	Youth leader	Other
Eneco Tour of Benelux	Red jersey (Rode trui or Maillot rouge)	Blue jersey (Blauwe trui or Maillot bleu)	There is no special jersey for the mountain leader.	Yellow jersey (Gele trui or Maillot jaune
Giro d'Italia	Pink jersey (Italian: maglia rosa)	Cyclamen jersey (Italian: maglia ciclamino)	Green jersey (Italian: maglia verde)	White jersey (Italian: maglia bianca)	Last in race: Black jersey (Italian: maglia nera) Intermediate Sprints: Sky-blue jersey (or maglia azzura)
Tour de France	Yellow jersey (French: maillot jaune)	Green jersey (French: maillot vert)	Polka dot jersey (French: maillot à pois rouges)	White jersey (French: maillot blanc)	Last in race: Red lantern (figure of speech) Most combative: Red number Leading Team: Yellow Number Historical: Combined overall leader: combined jersey Intermediate sprint leader: Red jersey
Vuelta a España	Golden jersey or (Spanish: Jersey Oro)	Blue jersey (Spanish: Jersey Azul)	Orange jersey (Spanish: Jersey Naranja)		Combined: White jersey Historical: Points:Fish jersey
Dauphiné Libéré	Yellow and blue jersey	Green jersey	Red with white polka-dots jersey		Combined: Blue jersey
Tour de Suisse	Yellow jersey	Points jersey	GPM-jersey (dependent on sponsor)		Sprint leader: ? Leading group: (dependent on sponsor)
Tour of California	Yellow jersey	Green jersey	Red jersey	White jersey
Tour of Missouri	Yellow jersey	Green jersey	Aqua jersey	White jersey
Paris-Nice	Yellow jersey	Green jersey	Red jersey	White jersey
Volta a Catalunya	White and Green striped jersey	Blue jersey	Red jersey
Tour de Romandie	Yellow jersey	Green jersey	Red jersey	White jersey
Vuelta al País Vasco	Yellow jersey	White jersey	Red jersey
Tour de Pologne	Yellow jersey	Blue jersey	White jersey
Tirreno-Adriatico	Blue jersey	Red jersey	Green jersey	White jersey
Tour of Turkey	Yellow jersey	Green jersey	Red jersey		Sprints Classification leader: Light Blue jersey
Tour de Luxembourg	Yellow jersey	Blue jersey	Green jersey	White jersey

Championship Jerseys

Championship of	Jersey
World Cycling Championship	Rainbow jersey
Australia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium	Driekleur jersey
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Ireland
Italy	Maglia tricolore
Japan
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Moldova
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Russia
Slovenia
South Africa
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela