Rainbow jersey
Encyclopedia
The Rainbow jersey is the distinctive jersey
worn by the reigning world champion
in a bicycle racing
discipline. The jersey is predominantly white with five horizontal bands in the UCI
colours around the chest. From the bottom up the colours are: green, yellow, black, red and blue; the same colours that appear in the rings on the Olympic flag. The tradition is applied to all disciplines, including road racing
, track racing
, cyclo-cross
, BMX
, and the disciplines within mountain biking
.
A world champion must wear the jersey when competing in the same discipline, category and speciality for which the title was won. For example, the world road race champion
would wear the garment while competing in stage races (except for time trial
stages) and one-day races, but would not be entitled to wear it during time trials. Similarly, on the track, the world individual pursuit
champion would only wear the jersey when competing in other individual pursuit events.
In team events, such as the team pursuit
, each member of the team must wear the rainbow jersey, but – again – would not wear it while racing in, say, points race
s or other track disciplines.
The rainbow jersey helps make a world champion easier to spot for spectators, but it also has the effect of making the title-holder more visible to other competitors, particularly in road racing situations. This can be a disadvantage as it makes it more difficult for the world champion to launch an attack, while other riders will quickly seek to take advantage if they notice the rainbow jersey crashes or suffers a mechanical or other problem. There is also reduced space for sponsors' logos on the world champion's jerseys; however, the increased media coverage of a reigning world champion probably offsets the effects of the smaller logo space.
Failure to wear the rainbow jersey where required carries a penalty of 2500 to 5000 Swiss franc
s.
After the end of a rider's championship year, they are eligible to wear piping in the same rainbow pattern on the collar and cuffs of their jersey. They retain this right for the remainder of their career.
If the holder of a rainbow jersey becomes leader of a multi-stage race (such as the Tour de France
) then the leader's jersey (Yellow jersey
) for that race takes precedence. Similarly, the leader's jerseys for UCI World Cup series also take precedence over the rainbow jersey, although, in 2006, Road Race World Champion Tom Boonen at one point was the leader of the Road Racing World Cup, and he, as well as his sponsor and the organizers of the race he was competing in at that time (Gent–Wevelgem) wanted him to continue wearing the rainbow jersey. A compromise was reached and Boonen wore a jersey which was a combination of the Rainbow jersey and the UCI World Cup jersey.
cover jinx
, the curse of the rainbow jersey is a popular term to refer to the phenomenon where cyclists who have become World Champion
often suffer from poor luck the next year – though, in some cases, the 'bad luck' was brought on by their own actions.
Tom Simpson
(UK) won the world title in 1965. During the following winter (Jan/Feb 1966) he broke his leg skiing thus missing out on his most lucrative benefits from wearing the rainbow jersey.
Other notable 'victims' of the curse include the 1970 world champion Jean-Pierre Monseré
who died wearing the rainbow jersey in March 1971.
The 1987 winner, Irishman Stephen Roche
, who had won the Tour de France
and Giro d'Italia
in the same season, had a disastrous following year, missing nearly the entire season with a knee injury.
The 1990 winner, Rudy Dhaenens
of Belgium, had no results in 1991, and was forced to retire shortly after with heart problems. He was killed in a car accident six years later at the age of 36.
The 1994 winner, Luc Leblanc
of France had an injury plagued following season with very poor results, winning only one small race, before bouncing back in 1996.
The 1997 winner, Laurent Brochard
, became entangled in the infamous Festina doping
scandal a year later.
The 2003 winner, Spaniard Igor Astarloa
, switched to the French team Cofidis
for the 2004 season which almost immediately suspended itself from racing due to doping allegations against several members of the team. In response to this, Astarloa switched first to the Lampre team, and then the Barloworld team. He has had a very quiet career since his 2003 victory.
The 2004 World Road Champion Óscar Freire
was in good form throughout the spring, but developed a saddle sore
mid-season that ended his hopes for a second consecutive title on home turf in Spain.
In August 2004 British professional cyclist David Millar
was suspended for two years by British Cycling
, stripped of his 2003 World Time Trial Championship jersey, and given a $1,600 fine, after confessing to the use of EPO
in 2001 and 2003.
On 24 September 2006, Italian Paolo Bettini
won the rainbow jersey in the World Road Race Championship in Salzburg, Austria. Eight days later on 2 October his older brother Sauro died when his car struck an obstacle and overturned into a ditch. He also had a few accidents in the beginning of 2007 season (Tirreno–Adriatico) and technical problems (in E3 Prijs Vlaanderen his chain snapped).
On November 26, 2006, while wearing the rainbow jersey of World Madison
Champion, Isaac Gálvez
died during the Six Days of Ghent
, following a horrific crash into the upper barrier surrounding the indoor track.
The 2008 World Road Champion Alessandro Ballan
was diagnosed with Cytomegalovirus
near the beginning of the 2009 season, and as a consequence missed the spring's classics and the Giro d'Italia
, his home tour. As a result he was in poor form for that year's Tour de France, and only made a proper appearance once, on stage 19 when he unsuccessfully broke away near the end of the stage.
There are of course exceptions to the curse. Eddy Merckx
, Bernard Hinault
and Greg LeMond
each won the Tour de France wearing the rainbow jersey.
Cycling jersey
A cycling jersey is a specialized jersey for cycling. While the vast majority of cyclists worldwide wear conventional clothing while riding, a jersey offers certain advantages for the serious cyclist. A cycling jersey is cut long in the back to accommodate the bent-over position used in serious...
worn by the reigning world champion
World Cycling Championship
The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale . The UCI Road World Championships include championships for elite men's road race and individual time trial...
in a bicycle racing
Bicycle racing
Bicycle racing is a competition sport in which various types of bicycles are used. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, bike trials, and cycle speedway. Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport...
discipline. The jersey is predominantly white with five horizontal bands in the UCI
UCI
UCI usually refers to the Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling.UCI may also refer to:* United Cinemas International* United Kennel Clubs International...
colours around the chest. From the bottom up the colours are: green, yellow, black, red and blue; the same colours that appear in the rings on the Olympic flag. The tradition is applied to all disciplines, including road racing
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
, track racing
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
, cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...
, BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
, and the disciplines within mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
.
A world champion must wear the jersey when competing in the same discipline, category and speciality for which the title was won. For example, the world road race champion
World Cycling Championship
The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale . The UCI Road World Championships include championships for elite men's road race and individual time trial...
would wear the garment while competing in stage races (except for time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
stages) and one-day races, but would not be entitled to wear it during time trials. Similarly, on the track, the world individual pursuit
Individual pursuit
The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the...
champion would only wear the jersey when competing in other individual pursuit events.
In team events, such as the team pursuit
Team pursuit
The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, start on opposite sides of the velodrome.- Race format :...
, each member of the team must wear the rainbow jersey, but – again – would not wear it while racing in, say, points race
Points race
A points race is a mass start track cycling event involving large numbers of riders simultaneously on track. It was an Olympic event for men between 1984–2008 and for women 1996-2008....
s or other track disciplines.
The rainbow jersey helps make a world champion easier to spot for spectators, but it also has the effect of making the title-holder more visible to other competitors, particularly in road racing situations. This can be a disadvantage as it makes it more difficult for the world champion to launch an attack, while other riders will quickly seek to take advantage if they notice the rainbow jersey crashes or suffers a mechanical or other problem. There is also reduced space for sponsors' logos on the world champion's jerseys; however, the increased media coverage of a reigning world champion probably offsets the effects of the smaller logo space.
Failure to wear the rainbow jersey where required carries a penalty of 2500 to 5000 Swiss franc
Swiss franc
The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
s.
After the end of a rider's championship year, they are eligible to wear piping in the same rainbow pattern on the collar and cuffs of their jersey. They retain this right for the remainder of their career.
If the holder of a rainbow jersey becomes leader of a multi-stage race (such as the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
) then the leader's jersey (Yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
) for that race takes precedence. Similarly, the leader's jerseys for UCI World Cup series also take precedence over the rainbow jersey, although, in 2006, Road Race World Champion Tom Boonen at one point was the leader of the Road Racing World Cup, and he, as well as his sponsor and the organizers of the race he was competing in at that time (Gent–Wevelgem) wanted him to continue wearing the rainbow jersey. A compromise was reached and Boonen wore a jersey which was a combination of the Rainbow jersey and the UCI World Cup jersey.
Current world champions
The current world champions in each discipline, allowed to wear the rainbow jersey are (excluding youth and veteran championships):Discipline | Event | World Champion Men | World Champion Women | Next Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|
Road UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale... |
Road Race | Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season... |
Italy Giorgia Bronzini Giorgia Bronzini Giorgia Bronzini is an Italian professional racing cyclist. She was born in Piacenza. She is the current Road World Champion.-Notable results:20032004... |
September 2012 |
Time Trial | Germany Tony Martin Tony Martin (cyclist) Tony Martin is a German professional road bicycle racer riding for the UCI ProTeam . Martin is known as a time trial specialist: in 2011, he won a time trial stage in the Tour de France and in the Vuelta a España, and became world champion... |
Germany Judith Arndt Judith Arndt Judith Arndt is a German professional cyclist for the T-Mobile Women cycling team. She won the bronze medal in the 3000 m pursuit event at the 1996 Summer Olympics when she was 20... |
||
Track UCI Track Cycling World Championships The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling and are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale... |
Sprint | France Grégory Baugé Grégory Baugé Grégory Baugé is a French professional racing cyclist. He is an eight-time world champion in track cycling.-Career highlights:20022003... |
Australia Anna Meares Anna Meares Anna Maree Meares, OAM is an Australian track cyclist.She has been the 500m TT world champion twice, and a gold medalist at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.-Biography:... |
March 2012 |
Team Sprint | France Michaël D'Almeida Michaël D'Almeida Michaël D'Almeida is a French track racing cyclist.D'Almeida specialises in track sprint events including the sprint, tem sprint, keirin and kilo... Grégory Baugé Grégory Baugé Grégory Baugé is a French professional racing cyclist. He is an eight-time world champion in track cycling.-Career highlights:20022003... Kévin Sireau Kévin Sireau Kévin Sireau is a French professional racing cyclist.-Career highlights:200320042005Kévin Sireau is a French professional racing cyclist.-Career highlights:... |
Australia Kaarle McCulloch Kaarle McCulloch Kaarle McCulloch is an Australian professional racing cyclist. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games she won a gold medal in the Team sprint and a silver medal in the 500m Time Trial.-Palmarès:2006... Anna Meares Anna Meares Anna Maree Meares, OAM is an Australian track cyclist.She has been the 500m TT world champion twice, and a gold medalist at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.-Biography:... |
||
Time Trial | Germany Stefan Nimke Stefan Nimke Stefan Nimke is an Olympic and world champion track cyclist from Germany.-External links:... |
Belarus Olga Panarina Olga Panarina Olga Panarina is a Belarusian track cyclist, specialising in the sprint disciplines. At the 2010 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Panarina won two bronze medals, in the 500 m time trial and the keirin, having finished fourth in the sprint in 2009.- Palmarès :- External links :... |
||
Keirin | Australia Shane Perkins Shane Perkins -Biography:Perkins was born in Melbourne, Australia, the son of Daryl Perkins. As a youngster, Perkins played cricket, football and basketball. He played basketball at a very high level aged 7 to 14, but did not enjoy it enough to continue... |
Australia Anna Meares Anna Meares Anna Maree Meares, OAM is an Australian track cyclist.She has been the 500m TT world champion twice, and a gold medalist at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.-Biography:... |
||
Individual Pursuit | Australia Jack Bobridge Jack Bobridge Jack Bobridge is an Australian professional racing cyclist. He came fourth as part of the Australian team pursuit at the 2008 Olympics, losing the bronze medal race to New Zealand. In May 2009, Bobridge signed with , with his contract starting on 1 January 2010 and continuing until 2012... |
United States Sarah Hammer Sarah Hammer Sarah Kathryn Hammer is an American professional racing cyclist.-Career:Hammer is a four-time champion in the individual pursuit at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.... |
||
Team Pursuit | Australia Jack Bobridge Jack Bobridge Jack Bobridge is an Australian professional racing cyclist. He came fourth as part of the Australian team pursuit at the 2008 Olympics, losing the bronze medal race to New Zealand. In May 2009, Bobridge signed with , with his contract starting on 1 January 2010 and continuing until 2012... Rohan Dennis Rohan Dennis - Palmarès :2008- Palmarès :2008- Palmarès :2008:1st, Stage 4, Tour of the Murray River:2008–2009 Track Cycling World Cup:: 1st, Team Pursuit, 2009: 2nd, Stage 4, Geelong Bay Classic Series... Luke Durbridge Luke Durbridge Luke Durbridge is an Australian road and track cyclist specialising in the individual time trial, road races, and various track cycling events. He started cycling at 14 years of age, competing in Triathlons, and is now the youngest ever medal winner in the U23 Individual time trial of the UCI Road... Michael Hepburn |
Laura Trott Laura Trott Laura Trott is a British racing cyclist.Trott won the 2011 UCI team pursuit.- References :... Wendy Houvenaghel Wendy Houvenaghel Wendy Louise Houvenaghel is a British racing cyclist from Upperlands, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, riding on both the road and track, but specialising in the latter... Danielle King Danielle King Danielle King is a British racing cyclist.King won the 2011 world team pursuit title alongside Laura Trott and Wendy Houvenaghel.- References :... |
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Scratch Race | Hong Kong Kwok Ho Ting Kwok Ho Ting Marco Kwok Ho-Ting , born on 26 February 1988, is a world champion Hong Kong cyclist. On 24 March 2011, he stunned a quality field to win the gold medal in the Men's 15-kilometer scratch at the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Apeldoorn, Holland... |
Netherlands Marianne Vos Marianne Vos Marianne Vos, is a Dutch cyclo-cross, road bicycle racer and track racer. After winning a junior European and world championship in road racing, she continued in senior cycling by becoming world champion in cyclo-cross and road racing at the age of 19. Vos added track racing world championships... |
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Points Race | Colombia Edwin Ávila | Belarus Tatsiana Sharakova Tatsiana Sharakova Tatsiana Sharakova is a Belarusian professional racing cyclist.-Career highlights:2001:5º in National Championship, Road, Elite, Belarus 2004:2º in European Championship, Track, Pursuit, U23... |
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Madison | Australia Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer Cameron Meyer is an Australian professional racing cyclist, riding for UCI ProTeam . He started cycling at the age of 13 in 2001 and first represented his country at the World Junior Track Championships in 2005. Meyer won his first senior World Championship in the Points Race in Pruszków, Poland... and Leigh Howard Leigh Howard Leigh Howard is an Australian professional racing cyclist for UCI ProTour team .-Biography:Born in Geelong, Victoria, Howard now resides in Waurn Ponds. He began cycling competitively at the age of 10 and first represented Australia in 2005 at the age of 16.Howard won the bronze medal in the... |
none | ||
Omnium | Australia Michael Freiberg | Canada Tara Whitten Tara Whitten Tara Alice Whitten is an Canadian track racing cyclist from Edmonton.A former cross country skier, she began track racing seriously in 2008 having dabbled in it since 2005... |
||
Cyclo-cross UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships The UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships sponsored by the Union Cycliste Internationale consists of both a men's and women's cyclo-cross world championship:* Men - UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships – Men's elite race... |
Czech Republic Zdeněk Štybar Zdenek Štybar Zdeněk Štybar is a Czech professional cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is the reigning World Cyclo-cross champion.Following consecutive second places in 2008 and 2009 Štybar won the 2010 World Cyclo-cross championships in his home nation... |
Netherlands Marianne Vos Marianne Vos Marianne Vos, is a Dutch cyclo-cross, road bicycle racer and track racer. After winning a junior European and world championship in road racing, she continued in senior cycling by becoming world champion in cyclo-cross and road racing at the age of 19. Vos added track racing world championships... |
January/February, 2011 | |
Mountain Bike | Marathon UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships The UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships is the world championship event for marathon mountain bike races. Inaugurated by the Union Cycliste Internationale in 2003, the event is held annually in single classes for men and women. The 2003 event was organized alongside the UCI Mountain Bike... |
Australia Alban Lakata | Switzerland Esther Süss | 2011 |
Cross Country | Czech Republic Jaroslav Kulhavy | Canada Catharine Pendrel Catharine Pendrel Catharine Pendrel is a Canadian cross-country mountain biker. She has been a member of the Canadian National team since 2003. She finished 4th at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the cross-country event. She was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and grew up outside the small community of Harvey... |
September 2012 | |
Downhill | United Kingdom Danny Hart Danny Hart (cyclist) Danny Hart is a British Downhill mountain biker who rides for the Giant Factory Off-Road Team. In 2011 he became the UCI Mountain Bike World Champion.... |
France Emmeline Ragot | ||
4-Cross | Czech Republic Michal Prokop | Netherlands Anneke Beerten | ||
Trial | 20-inch wheel | Spain Benito Ros Charral | Switzerland Karin Moor | September 2012 |
26-inch wheel | France Gilles Coustellier | |||
BMX UCI BMX World Championships UCI BMX World Championships are the world championships for BMX racing held under the regulations of the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's international governing body.... |
France Joris Daudet | Colombia Mariana Pajon | July 2012 |
Curse of the rainbow jersey
Similar to the Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
cover jinx
Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx
The Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx is an urban legend that states that individuals or teams who appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine will subsequently be jinxed...
, the curse of the rainbow jersey is a popular term to refer to the phenomenon where cyclists who have become World Champion
World Cycling Championship
The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale . The UCI Road World Championships include championships for elite men's road race and individual time trial...
often suffer from poor luck the next year – though, in some cases, the 'bad luck' was brought on by their own actions.
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson was the most successful English road racing cyclist of the post-war years. He infamously died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967...
(UK) won the world title in 1965. During the following winter (Jan/Feb 1966) he broke his leg skiing thus missing out on his most lucrative benefits from wearing the rainbow jersey.
Other notable 'victims' of the curse include the 1970 world champion Jean-Pierre Monseré
Jean-Pierre Monseré
Jean-Pierre "Jempi" Monseré was a Belgian road racing cyclist who died while champion of the world....
who died wearing the rainbow jersey in March 1971.
The 1987 winner, Irishman Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche is a retired professional road racing cyclist. In a 13-year professional career, he peaked in 1987, becoming only the second cyclist to win the Triple Crown of victories in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia stage races, plus the World road race championship...
, who had won the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
and Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
in the same season, had a disastrous following year, missing nearly the entire season with a knee injury.
The 1990 winner, Rudy Dhaenens
Rudy Dhaenens
Rudy Dhaenens was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who is most famous for winning the World Cycling Championships in 1990 as a member of the Belgian national team....
of Belgium, had no results in 1991, and was forced to retire shortly after with heart problems. He was killed in a car accident six years later at the age of 36.
The 1994 winner, Luc Leblanc
Luc Leblanc
Luc Leblanc is a retired professional male cyclist from France. In 1994 he became World Road Champion.-Biography:...
of France had an injury plagued following season with very poor results, winning only one small race, before bouncing back in 1996.
The 1997 winner, Laurent Brochard
Laurent Brochard
Laurent Brochard is a retired professional road racing cyclist from France. In 1997 he won a stage of the Tour de France and became world road champion in San Sebastián, Spain....
, became entangled in the infamous Festina doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...
scandal a year later.
The 2003 winner, Spaniard Igor Astarloa
Igor Astarloa
Igor Astarloa Askasibar is a retired cyclist from Spain.-Career:Astarloa turned professional with the Italian cycling team and enjoyed his best season in 2003 with team when he won the Flèche Wallonne and the road race title at the World Cycling Championships at Hamilton, Canada...
, switched to the French team Cofidis
Cofidis (cycling team)
Cofidis, Le Crédit en Ligne is a French professional road bicycle racing team sponsored by a money-lending company, Cofidis. It was started in 1996 by Cyrille Guimard the former manager of Bernard Hinault, Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon of the Renault-Elf team of the 1980s...
for the 2004 season which almost immediately suspended itself from racing due to doping allegations against several members of the team. In response to this, Astarloa switched first to the Lampre team, and then the Barloworld team. He has had a very quiet career since his 2003 victory.
The 2004 World Road Champion Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx...
was in good form throughout the spring, but developed a saddle sore
Saddle sores
A saddle sore in humans is a skin ailment on the buttocks due to, or exacerbated by, cycling on a bicycle saddle or horse riding. It often develops in three stages: skin abrasion, folliculitis , and finally abscess....
mid-season that ended his hopes for a second consecutive title on home turf in Spain.
In August 2004 British professional cyclist David Millar
David Millar
David Millar is a British road racing cyclist riding for . He has won three stages of the Tour de France, two of the Vuelta a España and one Stage of the Giro d'Italia. He was the British national road champion and the national time trial champion, both in 2007...
was suspended for two years by British Cycling
British Cycling
British Cycling is the national governing body for cycle racing in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man...
, stripped of his 2003 World Time Trial Championship jersey, and given a $1,600 fine, after confessing to the use of EPO
Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin, or its alternatives erythropoetin or erthropoyetin or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production...
in 2001 and 2003.
On 24 September 2006, Italian Paolo Bettini
Paolo Bettini
Paolo Bettini is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the coach of the Italian national cycling team. Considered the best classics specialist of his generation, and probably one of the strongest of all times, he won gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics road race and in the 2006...
won the rainbow jersey in the World Road Race Championship in Salzburg, Austria. Eight days later on 2 October his older brother Sauro died when his car struck an obstacle and overturned into a ditch. He also had a few accidents in the beginning of 2007 season (Tirreno–Adriatico) and technical problems (in E3 Prijs Vlaanderen his chain snapped).
On November 26, 2006, while wearing the rainbow jersey of World Madison
Madison (cycling)
The madison is a team event in track cycling, named after the first Madison Square Garden in New York, and known as the "American race" in French and in Italian and Spanish as Americana.-History:...
Champion, Isaac Gálvez
Isaac Gálvez
Isaac Gálvez López was a Spanish track and road racing cyclist who rode for Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears in the UCI ProTour. He died during the Six Days of Ghent cycling event in Belgium after colliding with Dimitri De Fauw and crashing against the railing. He died from internal bleeding...
died during the Six Days of Ghent
Six Days of Ghent
The Six Days of Ghent is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Ghent, Belgium.It takes place in the Kuipke velodrome in Ghent's Citadelpark.The 2006 event from 21 November to 26 November was marred by the death of one of the riders...
, following a horrific crash into the upper barrier surrounding the indoor track.
The 2008 World Road Champion Alessandro Ballan
Alessandro Ballan
Alessandro Ballan is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team , and is a former world champion. Although he possesses a frame that is usually more associated with climbing, Ballan has established himself as a leading spring classics contender in recent years...
was diagnosed with Cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus
Cytomegalovirus is a viral genus of the viral group known as Herpesviridae or herpesviruses. It is typically abbreviated as CMV: The species that infects humans is commonly known as human CMV or human herpesvirus-5 , and is the most studied of all cytomegaloviruses...
near the beginning of the 2009 season, and as a consequence missed the spring's classics and the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
, his home tour. As a result he was in poor form for that year's Tour de France, and only made a proper appearance once, on stage 19 when he unsuccessfully broke away near the end of the stage.
There are of course exceptions to the curse. Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
, Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...
and Greg LeMond
Greg LeMond
Gregory James LeMond is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada....
each won the Tour de France wearing the rainbow jersey.