Professional Cycling - Advantage of the Yellow Jersey?

Sorry I don't understand the Tour de France that much but what's the point of holding on to the Yellow Jersey, just extra publicity? Or are there special perks to wearing the yellow jersey?

Thanks :)

The "advantage" that I can see is that trivia buffs can memorize and store the information in their vast repository of TdF info and lay smack down on people 20 years from now when their facts are incorrect.

It ties in with the requirement that you have to have followed the tour for a minimum of ten years before you are allowed to express your opinion on it.

</sarcasm>

The only perk really is that the wearer of the Yellow Jersey gets a few inches extra room in the peleton. No one wants to be the guy that caused the tour leader to crash. Then there is some fame. Last night the OLN guys were talking about how much camera time Thomas Voeckler gets because he held the lead for 7 days a few years ago, even though he hasn't done much since.

By tradition the team that has the Yellow Jersey is expected to defend it. However, some teams would rather think of overall strategy and save some energy by not defending it. Like Phonak did Saturday. I personally agree with the "to heck with tradition I want to win the tour" philosophy.

SB

Sorry I don't understand the Tour de France that much but what's the point of holding on to the Yellow Jersey, just extra publicity? Or are there special perks to wearing the yellow jersey?

Thanks :)

Just?

In cycling the teams have sponsors. Even in hte rare case where the person in control of the sponsoring entity does not care about publicity they almost always have to justify the sponsorship the the rest of the company.

In the day to day riding respect does make a difference.

Also there is one very big advantage to being in the lead. The team cars follow in the order of the highest placed rider (at the start of the stage). That adds up. Going back for water each trip takes longer and riders have to work harder. It is magnified with any mechanical problem. If two riders both flat at the same time , one from the yellow jersey team and one from a team whose car is 10th, the rider from the yellow jersey team will be on his bike before the cars ahve all passed. The other rider most likely will not be and will have a lot more work to do getting back on.

The advantage has been reduced with improved communications. Before radios that ment that the race leader could talk with his DS and still for all pratical purposes still be in the peleton.

Note all these advantages are not some huge all or nothing thing. 2nd is still a whole lot better than 15th.

Also note that being in yellow and winning a stage are victories in their own right. For teams with little chance of a win in the end those are the victory. For teams that can win the Tour getting stage wins and staying in Yellow is a way of showing dominance. A truely dominating team or rider can do both. It has been a while since we have had one.

Then there's all the free champagne and wine when you visit the cafes and clubs in France. :p

All Bobke gets are free slurpees. :D

It's the damn yellow jersey!! That says it all.

For many riders wearing it is the highlight of a career and for many teams it makes the whole season just to have one of their boys in yellow.