A new UCI rule has obliged some teams to change their jersey designs for the 2025 season, to avoid looking too much like the leaders' jerseys at the Grand Tours.
The likes of EF Education-EasyPost and Visma-Lease a Bike have often changed their colours for the men's and women's Giro d'Italia and Tour de France to avoid being the same as the race leader's pink and yellow jersey. The new UCI rule also covers the other classifications in Grand Tours, such as the green points jersey at the Tour de France and the usually white best young rider jersey.
The new UCI rule apparently exists to help UCI officials identify riders and so avoid mistakes in race results and penalties.
For other, non-Grand Tour stage races, the UCI rule makes it clear that race organisers are responsible for ensuring that the leader’s jerseys are sufficiently distinct from those of teams and national champion's jersey.
The new UCI rule flips the responsibility to teams for the Grand Tours. It was created on June 17 2024 and so comes into force for the 2025 season.
It states that "teams shall be responsible for ensuring that their jerseys are sufficiently different from the leaders’ jerseys for the individual general classification leader’s jersey, points classification, king of mountain classification and youth classification in Grand Tours and events of the UCI Women’s WorldTour identified by the UCI."
It is unclear which, if any Women’s WorldTour races, will be affected in 2025 but will perhaps include the equivalent of the men's three Grand Tours.
The UCI adds a caveat to their rules, saying: "The obligation incumbent on teams shall be subject to organisers publishing information regarding their leaders’ jerseys at least six months prior to the relevant event."
The UCI has still to respond to Cyclingnews after being asked for details of the new rules and any changes to 2025 team colours.
In 2024 the UAE Team Emirates jersey looked similar to the best young riders jersey at the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana.
UAE Team Emirates told Cyclingnews they have added some black to their near all-white design of 2024 but insisted this was their own decision, rather than the new UCI rule, as they refreshed their design for the new season.
However, UAE Team Emirates team manager Mauro Gianetti and other team managers were not happy about Grand Tour race organisers being given precedence on jersey colours.
"It's a new UCI rule, who have taken control of the colours," Gianetti told Cyclingnews earlier this year.
"Eight teams have a blue jersey, there'll be even more next year…"
No specific guidelines for professional team jersey design
Blue has become a prevalent colour in the professional peloton in recent years but most team jersey designs avoid appearing too similar to the Giro d'Italia' Azzurra' points jersey by adding sponsor logos and other colours. It remains to be seen if this will satisfy the UCI and their new rule in 2025.
The UCI does not have specific rules or guidelines for professional team jersey design and colours, as it does to protect the world champion's rainbow jersey design, race leader, national champion's jerseys and World Cup leader's jerseys.
Cyclingnews understands that teams had to submit their jersey design to the UCI for approval before September 30, with UCI rules suggesting a final December 1 deadline. Teams are usually asked to resolve any similarities in design by agreeing to modifications.
Teams have one so-called 'permanent' design per season and changes can be requested, perhaps to accommodate a major new sponsor.
UCI rules allow for a maximum of three temporary 'alternative designs' each year, as EF Education-EasyPost and Visma-Lease a Bike do, but they must be submitted for approval "60 days before the start date of the event at which it shall be worn."
The UCI states that "Applications may be rejected for reasons considered valid, including without being limited to similarity to other team’s clothing, similarity to leaders’ jerseys, ill-compliance with UCI regulations pertaining to jerseys, potential harm to image of cycling, the events or the UCI."
The UCI rules that "The name, company logo or trademark of the principal partner shall be preponderant (thicker characters) and placed in the upper part of the jersey, both on the front and the back."
Two sponsor names can be inverted, while other sponsors and logos can be added and changed from one race or country to another.
