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?
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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:
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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.
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.
I agree, but marketing demands it.
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
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.
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
Spot the bloke in that pic above who's thinking, 'Get a bloody move on, one of us still has a race to win'
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.
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.
My feelings too.
And yes, I remember the Chava-Merckx night shift story
That's Cipolini right?
Not very Taste
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