Julian Alaphilippe joins former wearers of the yellow jersey on stage during the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the maillot jaune. © A.S.O./Olivier Chabe
100 years ago today, Eugène Christophe wore the first ever yellow jersey to mark the overall leader for the spectators during the 1919 Tour de France. The 1919 Tour was the first Tour after the end of World War I, so there were no organized teams or bike sponsors in the immediate aftermath of the war. Instead, all riders wore gray jerseys, leading to confusion from the road side spectators. After the 11th stage, the overall leader was given a yellow jersey to wear to differentiate him from the other contenders, a tradition that continued with the introduction of the sprint points jersey, the climber's jersey, and the young rider's jersey.
Julian Alaphilippe made a bit of history by winning the individual time trial for Stage 13 in Pau. He became the first repeat winner of the Tour, previously winning Stage 3. He became the first Frenchman to win a stage wearing yellow since 1989 and the first Frenchman to win a time trial wearing yellow since 1984. Stage 14 will be his 9th day in the maillot jaune.
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