Previous Forum topic
Next Forum topic
Should Yellow just be a jersey?
The colour yellow seems to have leaked over the years in the pro peloton.
No longer just a Jersey to denote the GC leader/winner, now it's his shorts/socks/bike/tyres/sunglasses/team mates armband(!)
Even Sky seem to be wearing Yellow helmets to denote the leading team.
Is it just me being a bluff old traditionalist or would the Yellow Jersey carry more x-factor if it was just a Jersey?
posted by Raleigh [1719 posts]
2nd July 2012 - 22:12
Well the helmet thing is not Sky's doing, it's the Tour organisers who introduced a new rule. As for the yellow frames, glasses etc I am guessing that's down to the team sponsors. Take Cancellera's yellow Trek Domane. It's a new bike, Trek want sell loads, what better advert than the Tour leader, " 'scuse me mate, do you 'ave that yellow bike I saw in yesterday's Tour, looks kinda cool".
This is all about the Team and their sponsors, not the bloke riding the bike. I doubt they turn around and say, "bring me a yellow bike". By all accounts, Voeckler got a yellow Colnago within 12 hours of getting the jersey all the way from Bergamo in Italy.
posted by boardmanrider [59 posts]
2nd July 2012 - 22:18
Don't they prepare them in advance, the Domane was built up like last Thursday or something, and I saw some pictures already of Cavendish's green wheeld decals.
Sir Velo
posted by Raleigh [1719 posts]
2nd July 2012 - 22:21
posted by festival [89 posts]
2nd July 2012 - 22:29
One other thing to add, the team mates are not wearing a yellow band on their arm because they have the yellow jersey in their team, Its because Livestrong are still something to do with RSNT, thats why its a Livestong band around the arm 
posted by Gkam84 [7809 posts]
2nd July 2012 - 22:59
Love the polka dot skin-suit when mountains leader rides a time trial stage.
The yellow helmets are a bit Bob The Builder - especially the ones with the closed vents like Wiggo's.
posted by daddyELVIS [209 posts]
2nd July 2012 - 23:28
Remember the Merckx factory working round the clock two years ago to knock out a custom yellow and green number for Chavanel?
http://road.cc/content/forum/19699-they-were-busy-merckx-factory-last-night
I think Cancellara's team brings along a yellow frame for him each year. Ends up getting used more often than not.
Cadel started the Champs Elysees stage on a special yellow number last year but swapped it for a regular black one after the photocalls as they headed into Paris proper, I think that may have been down to superstition?
I noticed that Wiggo's yellow helmet has a RAF/mod roundel on it - I'm guessing it wasn't done with just the team classification in mind
posted by Simon_MacMichael [7237 posts]
2nd July 2012 - 23:31
Spot the bloke in that pic above who's thinking, 'Get a bloody move on, one of us still has a race to win'
posted by Simon_MacMichael [7237 posts]
2nd July 2012 - 23:34
I suppose your right. It's the sponsors taking opportunites to get their product out there.
I think it's probably quite easy to spot the riders who are milking it.
posted by mattbibbings [100 posts]
3rd July 2012 - 7:14
Pics like that make me think they are tempting fate for a body's worth of road rash.
I have wondered how much of the coloured stuff is pre-prepared - it would feel presumptuous to be carrying e.g. a yellow bike and yellow shorts in the trailer.
Dodging the saccadic masking
posted by notfastenough [2485 posts]
3rd July 2012 - 8:13
it would feel presumptuous to be carrying e.g. a yellow bike and yellow shorts in the trailer.
My feelings too.
And yes, I remember the Chava-Merckx night shift story 
posted by Simon E [1726 posts]
3rd July 2012 - 9:35
posted by Raleigh [1719 posts]
3rd July 2012 - 18:41
.jpg)
Err, Sky didn't choose to wear those helmets.
They probably get money from sponsors, along with Oakley, trek bontrager etc.
I think its fun.
Comme suit:
Sir Velo