The Birth of the Yellow Jersey

The Tour's most iconic symbol emerged almost by accident in 1919. Desgrange wanted spectators to easily identify the race leader but initially resisted the idea of a special jersey. According to legend, he chose yellow to match L'Auto's distinctive paper color, though some claim it was the only color available in sufficient quantity in post-war France.

Eugène Christophe's Honor and Heartbreak

Eugène Christophe became the first rider to wear the maillot jaune on July 19, 1919. A veteran rider known as "The Old Gaul," Christophe had suffered legendary bad luck in previous Tours, including the famous incident in 1913 when he carried his broken bicycle to a forge and repaired it himself, losing the race in the process.

The yellow jersey transformed Christophe from anonymous rider to instant celebrity. Spectators who might have missed the race leader now couldn't fail to spot him. Yet fate wasn't finished with Christophe. Leading the race with two stages remaining, his fork broke again on the cobblestones near Dunkirk. This time, no amount of determination could save his race. He finished third, forever remembered as the first yellow jersey who couldn't keep it to Paris.