Help me explain things to my missus

Pierrot also has little time for all the Tour followers who come calling, hoping to procure one of his prized possessions. “There are thousands of people on the Tour and I can’t just hand them out,” says Pierrot. “I have jerseys sure, but they are for the riders.”(bicycling)

that sucks

wonder if you can get the spare one free?

Everything explained here

http://www.bicycling.com/tour-de-france/tour-features/man-many-colors?cm...

...the Garmin Cervelo logo incorporates his WC stripes. Not sure how they had that one ready so quickly...

To clarify - the team's logo panel will be printed onto "magic" paper which is then pressed onto the blank panel on an otherwise pre-printed stock jersey - the ink transfers to the jersey and is immediately fixed.

I'd imagine that there's a big stack of pre-printed panels which are ready to go. Piece of cake to produce a slightly different one for Thor.

Given the high tech nature of team garments these days, I'd guess a lot of riders bumpt their gums at organisation provided jerseys. Some riders will make a few adjustments - fortunately the needle free policy doesn't apply to sewing needles...

I read once that Louison Bobet refused to wear the sponsor-provided yellow jersey, because it was made of an early artificial fiber and for him nothing but traditional wool would do. Those were the days, before the forces of marketing took over the world.

A quick ps to that last post - just watched video showing Thor on podium after he got maillot jaune on Sunday, and the Garmin Cervelo logo incorporates his WC stripes. Not sure how they had that one ready so quickly... although they were faourites for TTT, and he was going to be the rider in yellow.

At most races (and I'm guessing the TdF too), teams are asked to supply a logo graphic which the organisation will prepare for application to a blank panel on a jersey. Can be done using a small heat press on the podium truck. Takes around 30s per jersey.

For the podium presentation it's sometimes just a sticker version of the logo panel (or even paper and double sided tape).

Leaders will get a fresh jersey with a proper printed logo panel provided at sign-on before the stage.

UCI regs on leaders jerseys here:
http://www.uci.ch/Modules/BUILTIN/getObject.asp?MenuId=&ObjTypeCode=FILE...

ASO provide them. They have podium presentation jerseys ready for all teams in all 4 categories - so somewhere, there is already a Team Sky maillot jaune

The four jerseys that will be worn the following day are prepared overnight to ensure the rider gets the correct size.

Interestingly that means that while Adidas sponsor Sky, Geraint Thomas at the moment is wearing a Nike jersey.

Next year though, Nike will be disappearing from the scene and it will be Le Coq Sportif who will be supplying the jerseys instead. Looking forward to that

I dont know about the TdF but in the Tour of Cali, it was the race organisers because Horner and whoever else was in jerseys, i cant remember now, had to do time trials in baggy suits