Rainbow jersey facts for kids
The Rainbow jersey is a very special shirt worn by world champion cyclists. It shows everyone that they are the best in the world at their sport!
This jersey is mostly white. It has five colorful stripes across the chest. These stripes are green, yellow, black, red, and blue, starting from the bottom. These are the same colors you see in the rings on the Olympic flag. There are different rainbow jerseys for different types of cycling, like road racing, track racing, cyclo-cross, BMX, and mountain biking.
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When Do Cyclists Wear the Rainbow Jersey?
A cyclist who wins a world championship must wear this special jersey when they race in that same type of event. For example, if a cyclist is the world champion in road racing, they will wear the rainbow jersey during road races. But they would not wear it during a time trial race, because that's a different kind of event.
On the track, if someone is the world champion in the individual pursuit, they only wear the rainbow jersey when they are competing in other individual pursuit races. It's like a special uniform for their specific championship.
What Happens if a Champion Doesn't Wear It?
If a world champion doesn't wear their rainbow jersey when they are supposed to, they can get a big fine. This rule makes sure that the champions always show off their special title!
Sponsors and the Rainbow Jersey
Cycling teams have sponsors who pay a lot of money to have their names on the riders' jerseys. When a cyclist becomes a world champion, the sponsor's name might be smaller on the rainbow jersey because there's less space. But sponsors don't mind! The world champion gets a lot more attention, which means more publicity for the sponsor.
When the Leader's Jersey Takes Over
Sometimes, a world champion might be leading a big stage race, like the Tour de France. In this case, they wear the special jersey for the race leader, not the rainbow jersey. But they only wear the leader's jersey while they are actually in the lead. If they lose the lead, they go back to wearing their rainbow jersey.
Images for kids
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The 2012 world road race champion Philippe Gilbert wearing the rainbow jersey.
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The 2013 world time trial champion Ellen van Dijk wearing the time trial rainbow jersey
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Katrin Schultheis wearing the rainbow jersey for artistic cycling
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Stefan Nimke, 2012 men's 1 km time trial world champion wearing the track rainbow jersey
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2016, 2017, 2018 World Champion cyclo-cross Wout van Aert wearing the rainbow jersey
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Rainbow Jersey of Jean-Pierre Monseré won in 1970, Leicester (collection KOERS. Museum of Cycle Racing)
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See also
In Spanish: Maillot arcoíris para niños
