In sport, a quantity can carry lots of weight. In rugby or American soccer, a quantity denotes a place on the sphere. In American soccer golf equipment, a quantity is commonly so carefully related to a participant that when that participant retires, the quantity is retired alongside them – by no means for use once more. In ice hockey, skaters select their very own numbers, normally picked for private or historic significance. Within the Tour de France, and biking extra broadly, the that means is a bit more arbitrary.
You’d be forgiven for assuming that on the Tour de France the numbers on a rider’s again imply little to nothing. And also you’d be right. Virtually. However what they lack in that means, they very a lot make up for in satisfying logic. With one or two attention-grabbing exceptions. Right here’s a fast run-down of what’s, admittedly, an inexact science.
Tour de France: Who’s Number one?
If in case you have any information in any respect about numbers in biking, you in all probability know that #1 is worn by the earlier yr’s victor. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) wore 1 in 2023 and he’ll put on it once more on the 2024 Tour de France, following his profitable defence of the maillot jaune.
Statistically talking, the number one bib, or dossard, to make use of the French time period, is essentially the most profitable when it comes to earlier victories. A complete of 27 Tour wins have come from riders sporting the one digit on their backs; the best of any bib quantity.
In some ways it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy – the earlier yr’s finest rider has an above-average likelihood of profitable the race as soon as once more. The truth is, it’s one of many few races inside the sport of biking the place defending your title has any actual that means.
The workforce of the earlier yr’s winner fills out the remainder of the one digits. Dossards 2-8 had been worn by Jumbo-Visma final yr, ordered alphabetically.
Why is Quantity 13 the other way up?
Fortunate quantity 13… Superstition is the primary motive 13 is worn the other way up (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
The subsequent predetermined quantity is 11. This quantity goes to the earlier yr’s runner-up. In 2023, this quantity went to Tadej Pogačar of UAE Crew Emirates. The remainder of his workforce usually would’ve crammed out numbers 12-18, though they went completely different from the norm with none rider sporting the quantity 13. Adam Yates was as an alternative using quantity 19 with Felix Großschartner, the rider meant to put on the upside-down 13, possible opting to not put on the unfortunate digit.
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Meaning the final rider to don the upside-down dossard was Steven Kruijswijk in 2022 for Jumbo-Visma. The place biking is pragmatic about its numbering system, many riders nonetheless retain a superstition over that quantity and select to put on it the other way up. (Kruijswijk crashed arduous on stage 15 in 2022 and was pressured to desert the race.)
The third set of numbers is 21-28, historically worn by the workforce of the rider who was third positioned within the earlier yr’s Tour. In 2022, this was Geraint Thomas, so Ineos Grenadiers claimed the fitting to those dossards regardless of the Welshman not being current. The British workforce opted to grant former Tour winner Egan Bernal the quantity 21 regardless of not being the chief, with younger star Carlos Rodríguez ending up as their finest rider regardless of beginning with the quantity 27 on his again.
If any of the earlier yr’s high three are usually not current on the race, their groups will award the numbers 1, 11, or 21 to whichever rider is their designated chief.
Past the three earlier podium spots is the place issues get a bit of sketchy. Theoretically, the numbers proceed 31-38 for the following workforce, 41-48 for the one after, and so forth, however the causes behind the precise placement of groups are usually not solely clear; blocks have been allotted alphabetically, or by workforce rating. There are distinctive circumstances although.
In 2023, the following highest out there quantity, 31, was awarded to David Gaudu after he completed fourth within the 2022 Tour de France – the highest-placed French rider. The remainder of the 30s had been taken up by his teammates on the long-standing French squad.
The Tour de France’s legendary quantity 51
Eddy Merckx received the 1969 Tour de France clad in quantity 51; that quantity would win once more 4 occasions within the subsequent 10 years. (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
The quantity 51 retains an nearly legendary significance to the French. Named the dossard anise after a model of aniseed aperitif launched by Pernod in 1951, the legend was born following a profitable decade for the quantity: 4 riders received sporting 51 inside 10 years, starting with Eddy Merckx in 1969 and ending with Bernard Hinault in 1978.
Since then, it’s been thought to be fortunate, and is commonly awarded to a distinguished French rider – Pierre Rolland wore 51 in 2013, Thibaut Pinot in 2019 and 2020 and Julian Alaphilippe wore it in 2023 for the second time in his profession – In actuality, it’s really solely the fourth-most profitable dossard, after 11 and a couple of, sharing the rating with 15 and 21.
Purple and yellow
After the numbers have been allotted, that’s that. By way of digits, at the very least. As soon as the race kicks in, there are colors that may be added to dossards to indicate various things. Most notably, it was purple however is now gold. Every day, the rider sporting the purple quantity was the rider deemed to have been most aggressive throughout the day before today’s stage. In 2023, this purple quantity was exchanged for a gold dossard as a result of competitors’s sponsor, Century 21. Combativity is set by a jury following every stage alongside a brand new vote made by members of the Tour de France Membership.
The second color seen inside the peloton is yellow. To not be confused with the yellow of the chief’s jersey, yellow numbers are awarded to the riders from the workforce who’re recognised with the workforce classification at that time within the race. Because of this, these could change arms simply because the maillot jaune could shift from one set of slender shoulders to a different, because the race progresses. Jumbo-Visma received the workforce competitors in 2023 alongside the yellow jersey itself.
