The Palais des Congrès de Paris provided the backdrop to the presentation of the four official leader jerseys for the 2022 Tour de France: the Yellow Jersey, the green jersey, the polka dot jersey and the white jersey the for the Grande Boucle leaders will all be made by Santini Cycling Wear using fabrics woven from recycled yarns. The official 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and L’Étape du Tour de France 2022 jerseys were also unveiled at the event.
The official presentation of the 2022 Tour de France route took place today at the Palais des Congrès de Paris. Aside from the stages that the pro road cycling elite will have to tackle, the jerseys presented to the leaders at the end of each stage were also unveiled as were those for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and L’Étape du Tour de France, the amateur event that replicates one of the Grande Boucle stages.
All of the jerseys were made in Italy by the Tour de France’s partner, Santini Cycling Wear.
The development of each of the jerseys demanded both technical research and creative flair which came courtesy of Fergus Niland, Santini’s Creative Director: «The design concept behind the jerseys referenced the ‘Le maillot est le trophée!’ principle and so we wanted to emphasise the fact that the jersey itself is the prize for the winner,” explained the Irish designer who has headed Santini Cycling Wear’s development team since 2011. “And because of our company’s history, that phrase also indicates just how proud and delighted we are about this new challenge and about being able to make these four iconic jerseys!».
The four Tour de France leader jerseys were designed and made entirely at Santini’s Lallio headquarters just outside Bergamo in Northern Italy. On a technical level, they are uniquely sustainable and eco-friendly. Meticulous research went into ensuring the perfect positioning of the materials used. In fact, the front, back and back pocket of the jerseys are all in an ultralight printable fabric made from recycled polyester yarn. Fabric resulting from a recycling process is also used for the raw cut sleeves, while an extremely soft, double-face material was used for the raw cut collar to guarantee superb comfort.
«Watching the athletes getting up on the podium on the Champs-Élysées next July wearing our jerseys will definitely be uniquely emotional for the whole Santini team – declared Paola Santini, Marketing Manager Santini Cycling Wear – Proof too of just how much our commitment and dedication is appreciated both in Italy and abroad».
On a design level, while the jerseys retain the signature simplicity and purity that has always characterised the jerseys for the four classifications in the Grande Boucle, they also feature subtle key details that make them unique: from an Arc de Triomphe-inspired silicone gripper to tone-on-tone finishing touches specific to each one and a silicone patch embroidered with Henri Desgrange’s famous initials on the Yellow Jersey. Lastly, the story of each jersey is also printed on its inside: «We did some historical research into each of the jerseys so that we could create a story as a reminder of their epic significance, not just to the pro cyclists that will wear them but also to the fans who will want to have a replica of their own,» concluded Fergus Niland. But that’s not all, because at the end of the last stage with the arrival in Paris, the winner of the Tour de France will have his name written on the jersey.
The same attention to materials and dedication to detail was lavished on the jerseys for the winners of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and the amateur L’Étape du Tour de France, a sportive ride competed on one of the Grande Boucle stages. All of the Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and L’Étape du Tour de France jerseys as well as the other news to emerge from this great partnership will be celebrated on a special mini website:
