Blazer of glory

The jerseys, made by Le Coq Sportif, will be personalized every evening with the rider's name and the title of the stage upon which he will wear it.

The images on the yellow jersey include the Atomium in Brussels, Reims Cathedral, the Lion of Belfort, and the likenesses of Eugene Christophe and riders who have won the Tour five times.

The last Frenchman to win the Tour－also a five-time champion－Bernard Hinault, has the honor of being the subject printed on the yellow jersey after stage eight.

"The yellow jersey is the top honor for a professional cyclist, when you wear the yellow jersey, you are more easily to be found in the peloton," said Hinault, while celebrating the 100th anniversary of the yellow jersey with Chinese cycling fans in Beijing last month.

"Yellow is the color of gold and the sun, so it's a symbol of glory. Only the winner of the race can wear the yellow jersey," he adds.

Hinault won his first yellow jersey in 1978. He remembers that he clinched the race leader's yellow jersey in the final time trial on stage 20, and after winning the overall race, he and his teammates celebrated the whole night in Paris.

"It's the biggest cycling race in the world. All of the world's top riders gather together to fight for the title and it is broadcast to nearly 200 countries and regions," says Hinault.

Hinault's other four victorious Tours came in 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985. He was known by the nickname "badger" on the grounds of the animal's aggressive and frightful nature－just like his famous quote: "As long as I breathe, I attack".

He retired in 1986 and joined the management team of the Tour de France organizer, Amaury Sport Organization.

"To work as an organizer is a lot easier than being a rider," says Hinault.

Hinault's first visit to China was with ASO years ago to organize a cycling race in Hainan province. He notes that more people in China are picking up the riding habit.

"I watched the Chinese female track cyclists win the Olympic gold medal in 2016," Hinault says, adding that he hopes to see more Chinese riders in the Tour de France in future.

Former cyclist, Ji Cheng, took part in the 2014 Tour de France for team Giant-Shimano. Despite a knee injury, he finished last, becoming the first Chinese cyclist to complete the race.

Shen Jinkang, president of the Chinese Cycling Association, says Hinault was his idol when he was a cyclist more than 30 years ago, and he thinks that the yellow jersey represents the spirit of never giving up and fighting to be a better, faster and stronger athlete.

"France has a cycling culture from which we can learn while building our riding culture in China, and we hope that in the future there will be more Chinese cyclists showing up on the Tour de France," says Shen.