#and how the tour's yellow in particular is so hallowed but the one that brings the most pressure

[oneminutefiftysixseconds]

Your tags on my Remco gifs 😭

with all of the talk during the Giro about tadej in pink and the Dauphiné bringing the return of the LCL-branded yellow jersey that's so familiar to us i have been Thinking about cycling's tradition of distinctive jerseys as emblems of leadership because until the very last day of a stage race the leader's jersey isn't a medal, it isn't a prize, it isn't a win -- sure, wearing the jersey for a few days is an achievement in and of itself -- but all that means is you're the fastest to the current point.

for the riders who take it at the beginning of a stage race, the sprinters or time-trialists winning a prologue, they know it's only a short while until one of the serious GC candidates relieves them of it; so wearing the leader's jersey is an exciting prospect, something to be proud of and enjoy while it lasts

but for the GC riders with a serious shot at taking the jersey home it's simultaneously a mark of leadership and a garish target. your team is expected to work harder in the peloton, you have more media duties, more responsibilities, and all eyes are on /you/. if there's a time trial you go last of all, chasing your competitors and heralding either more time taken from them or losing the colour that covers you like a second skin; in 2020 primož rode the planche des belles filles in a yellow TT suit and tadej didn't pin his numbers to a yellow jersey until the champs-elyseés. when a rider cracks in the leaders jersey the cameras follow them and everyone is watching to see whether they lose it, and if so how much they lose it by

this is all a bit rambly and disjointed but from an allegorical point of view the yellow jersey could be considered as a curse, as a golden fleece that shines so bright it burns, driving the entire race forward but to wear it is to be changed and if you are not strong enough to live in the middle of the flame then someone more capable will take it and hope they can last a little longer