The exhibition "100 years of the Yellow Jersey"
The French National Sport Museum - Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice
From 17th Mars to 29th Septembre 2019
Serendipity as well as accomplishments, strokes of bad luck and disillusionments have accompanied the Yellow Jersey since it came into being, starting with the day of its appearance in the pack, almost 100 years ago, on the shoulders of Eugène Christophe, who deserved this privilege more than any other rider, as a symbolic compensation for the misfortune that dogged him on the roads of the Tour de France.
Much later, Bernard Hinault, one of the most prolific champions in French sport, capable of five convincing wins with character in the most prestigious race in his discipline, managed to attract the amount of good luck necessary to hit the heights. For example, he is still the last rider to have exchanged, thanks to a show of strength, the World Champion’s rainbow jersey for the Yellow Jersey on the very first day of the Tour de France in 1981, on the Promenade des Anglais. Merely a short ride away from this emblematic site in Nice, the French National Sport Museum, situated in the Allianz Riviera Stadium, gives pride of place to the most sought-after trophy on the Grande Boucle in a six-month long exhibition for its one hundredth birthday. On its fiftieth anniversary, it received the gift of Eddy Merckx’s arrival in the pack and the Belgian went on to become its most faithful companion. To complete its first century of existence and start another, the Yellow Jersey is already experiencing the joy of a stay dedicated to sharing on the French Riviera and will no doubt reserve its share of surprises for us come July.
Christian Prudhomme
Director of the Tour de France
