Professional Cycling For the Fans - What happens to the jerseys?

So, I'm at the TdF and I won the opening TT. I get a yellow jersey for my efforts. Yay! The next day, that punk Cavendish wins his umpteenth stage/race of the year. Yeah, okay, yay for him too. Anyway, at the end of the second day I'm still in yellow. Do I get a second yellow jersey? More to the point, the mountain goats come out to play in the Pyranees and I lose my yellow jersey. Do I still have the one I have in my duffel bag from winning the TT and/or the ones I have because I was still in yellow through the first week?

So, is there a brand-new jersey given at each stage that if I'm Fabian and I won the TT I can have at least one the rest of my life that I can hug and squeeze and call George and frame if I want to? Since the first week I stayed in yellow do I get one for each stage I remained in yellow.....? Or, do I have to give back the stinky yellow shirt and it lives on only in my memories?

I remember watching a documentary that had Rolf Aldag and Erik Zabel in it (great movie, btw!), and there's a scene where the two of them are talking and one opens his duffel bag and there's a bunch of jerseys inside of it (must be Zabel?). So, my guess is that the TdF folks make up four new jerseys for each stage... and if you've been in yellow (or green or polka dots or white), you keep that jersey forever and you can have it placed beside you in your casket if you wish....

Anyone here know for sure?

They get new ones. They didn't show it this year but in years past the riders would sign like 10 of them for sponsors.

my understanding is this:
you get new jerseys after each stage. 3 for each day if I'm not mistaken.
1 for posium
1 for wearing the next day
1 spare

but there is a good chance I'm wrong.

Do they just have a bunch of each jersey for each team made up before the race so that whoever wins it has one ready to go w/ the right sponsors etc...?

I believe that they actually make them on the same day of the race as soon as they know who will be in each jersey. They carry a chit-ton of sizes and all the sponsor's iron-on logos. At least I *think* I saw something about that on one of Versus previous tour features.

Do they just have a bunch of each jersey for each team made up before the race so that whoever wins it has one ready to go w/ the right sponsors etc...?

There's a Nike employee in a van with stocks of yellow, polka dot, green and white jerseys and a blank space to imprint team name. The van is also equipped with all the equipment required to imprint the jerseys. When the stage ends he imprints the jerseys like Quijibo187 said.

I have three...

One yellow from Lance's 4th win with Postal

One pink/Giro from Simoni from Saeco

Anoehr pink/Giro from DiLuca, Liquigas win.

Don't know where the rest are...:D

I have three...

One yellow from Lance's 4th win with Postal

One pink/Giro from Simoni from Saeco

Anoehr pink/Giro from DiLuca, Liquigas win.

Don't know where the rest are...:D

In case you didn't know, all three of those are likely dirty, you might want to give them a good scrubbing

Well, he works fast. Often, the jerseys are handed out and the pretties are there to kiss your cheek before the last riders are in already.

What they should do is also imprint the stage number on the jerseys... I used to run competitively and have many medals and ribbons and I forget which one is for what... sucks in a way.

I think OP is asking whether or not Stage Winner gets to keep their yellow jerseys. Is there just ONE legit yellow jersey per TDF? Or does the stage winners/yellow jersey holders get to add a new jersey to their collection daily?

Or does the stage winners/yellow jersey holders get to add a new jersey to their collection daily?

Yes.

Think of someone like Merckx... I know he's older now and all.. but he won 500 races. Think of all the free jerseys he's got collecting dust in some closet! Heck, what was it? 1973 maybe? When he won 8 stages... 8 nice little jerseys right there (I think he was in Yellow during those stages... been a bit since I've read about it, so not certain).

and don't forget the huge collection of stuffed animals and trophies !

Here's the answer! http://www.velonews.com/article/96765/technical-qa-with-lennard-zinn---readying-the-leaders-

Here's a cool video about sublimation from this years tour of California
http://vimeo.com/3293557

Think of someone like Merckx... I know he's older now and all.. but he won 500 races. Think of all the free jerseys he's got collecting dust in some closet! Heck, what was it? 1973 maybe? When he won 8 stages... 8 nice little jerseys right there (I think he was in Yellow during those stages... been a bit since I've read about it, so not certain).

No Jersey for stage wins. But Eddy had 111 days in Yellow. Since he won 2 KOMs and 3 Points championships (and missed a couple more by less than 10 points) it is likely he has over 200 total TDF Jerseys. Well over 200 if one counts the Combination Jersies he won.

He won 8 stages in '70 and '74.

i seem to remember reading somewhere that in merckx's time, new leaders jerseys weren't given out each stage and so merckx actually owns fewer yellow jerseys than lance, even though he had spent more time in yellow.