UCI increases monitoring of team colors: in addition to Visma | Lease a Bike and SD Worx, others have to take action

According to Cyclingnews, the UCI has introduced new rules that will make cycling teams quite challenging starting in 2025. Teams such as Visma | Lease a Bike, Team SD Worx-Protime and EF Education-EasyPost already had to take action in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia because their jerseys were too similar to the yellow and pink leader's jerseys. However, more teams will be affected, as the new rule also applies to the other leader's jerseys.

The new rule was introduced on June 17, 2024, and will be effective from 2025. This means that during the grand tours, the team will be fully responsible. Teams must ensure that their jerseys differ sufficiently from those of the GC and those of the points, mountain, and youth classifications.

The rule is also in effect at selected races of the UCI Women's WorldTour, and the purple jersey—the leader WorldTour classification among women—is also mentioned by the UCI. That will require Team SD Worx-Protime to use less or a different purple color. In WorldTour races outside the grand tours, however, it remains the responsibility of the organizers to make their leader's jerseys distinctive enough. 

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Also problems for white and blue jerseys

In 2024, UAE Team Emirates' white jersey already raised confusion because it resembled the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta youth jerseys. UAE Team Emirates manager Mauro Gianetti expressed his unhappiness: "Eight teams wear blue, and there will be even more next year." So, next year, it means even more caution. More and more teams have embraced the color blue in recent years. But even there, they must watch out for it not to become too much like the Giro's blue "Azzurra" jersey. This means teams must pay close attention to sponsor logos and accent colors.

Teams must submit their final jerseys for approval by September 30, with a deadline of December 1. Teams are expected to adjust for similarities to other or leader jerseys. Each team is allowed one "permanent" design per season and up to three alternate designs that can be used per race. However, these temporary designs must be approved 60 days before the race in question. Organizers must also announce their jerseys sixty days in advance.

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