Tour de France and the iconic jerseys

After three weeks of competition, the yellow jersey for the overall winner of the Tour de France is the most coveted. However, the diversity of the Tour lies in the fact that, in addition to the yellow jersey, almost every day there is a race for other famous jerseys that symbolise leadership in each discipline or age category. The green jersey is worn by the rider with the highest number of points collected in the sprinter's classification. The polka dot jersey – white with red dots – belongs to the king of the mountains, i.e. the rider who has earned the most points in the climbers' classification. Finally, the white jersey is worn by the best young rider under 25 who is leading the overall classification.

Not that we, as a manufacturer of cycling clothing, are particularly interested in the colour or the competition, but we always enjoy watching the sprint battles in which the Alpecin-Deceuninck team competes for stage victories in our clothing. It was in 2023 that Jasper Philipsen won the green jersey competition overall, confirming his status as one of the best sprinters on the planet. However, this green triumph was preceded in 2021 by the victorious moments of Mathieu van der Poel, who, after an unsuccessful first attempt, won the second stage of the Tour and wore the yellow jersey of the leader for several days.

Now that we've mentioned the Tour de France jerseys and the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, there's another traditional connection worth mentioning. During one of the rest days of the Tour, the Belgian team riders change into the retro colours inspired by one of the teams of the legendary Raymond Poulidor, Mathieu van der Poel's grandfather. The iconic retro jerseys are also available in our eShop, and every year Alpecin-Deceuninck donates the proceeds from the sale of this clothing to various charitable causes. These give children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and challenging living conditions the opportunity to engage in sports and stay active.

This year's Tour de France will be no exception, and during one of the rest days, the Alpecin-Deceuninck team riders will take to the road to stretch their tired legs in unusual colours. What will the new tribute to Raymond Poulidor look like this year? We can't reveal that yet, but one thing is certain: it will be a completely new colour combination.