Among the yellow
jerseys that have
made history, the one
of 1949 was the fi rst
to carry the initials
“HD”, in honour of
Henri Desgrange,
founder of the Tour.
“TO RECOGNISE THE LEADER”
The Tour de France was in the middle of its 13th edition when the idea for a
yellow jersey emerged. With little fanfare it was awarded for the first time in
Grenoble on 19 July 1919 to the French rider Eugène Christophe… 100 years on,
it’s become the most powerful symbol of the race. BY PHILIPPE BOUVET