The green jersey in the Tour de France is no longer as recognizable as in previous years. How did that happen? And why is the red back number no longer red in color, but according to the official reading ‘gold’?
“Why am I not going for the points classification this year? I don’t like the new color very much.” At the team presentation, Wout van Aert briefly discussed the color change of the most prestigious cycling jersey for sprinters. The green jersey is no longer as strikingly green as before, but is darker in color. Even though Van Aert meant his comment as a joke, there is undoubtedly also a serious undertone hidden in that one sentence.
Because the new version of the green jersey is not entirely popular. It doesn’t help for visibility that the first wearers of the green jersey, Simon Yates and Victor Lafay, are not sprinters. In addition, the dark green jersey is much less easy to recognize in the Tour peloton, which still counts 174 riders.
The German cycling team Bora-Hansgrohe, riding in dark green, even had to change their jersey because the color was too similar to the points jersey. Searching from the helicopter for the man in the leader’s jersey is no easy task for the cameraman this Tour – and also earlier in the other French World Tour races Paris-Nice and Dauphiné.
Why is the green jersey no longer green?
But then the question: why is the green jersey no longer green as we have been used to for years? It all has to do with a change in corporate identity at car brand Skoda, the sponsor of the green jersey. Exactly that change is now also reflected in the points jersey. The Tour organization adds that the change also comes from the Tour, years ago the points jersey was also slightly darker in color. So it is mainly a matter of getting used to.
Tour de France 2023
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Incidentally, the color change in the points jersey is not the only change. The red back number is no longer red either, but according to the official reading it is ‘gold’, although that can also be discussed. That also has to do with the sponsor. No change of house style this time, but a completely new sponsor: Century 21 replaces Antargaz.
Fortunately, there are other certainties in cycling life: the yellow jersey remains yellow, the white jersey is white and the polka dot jersey is white with red dots. For now, at least.
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