As the Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race gears up for its 10th edition May 8-17, race organizer AEG has revealed one of the time-honored and fan-favorite aspects of any cycling race – the leader jerseys.
The 2015 edition of America’s Greatest Race will feature some of the best men and women cyclists in the world competing across hundreds of miles of California’s most picturesque scenery. Along the way, they will try to lay claim to unique jerseys that signify the best performers in traditional categories each day. Champion System returns as the race’s exclusive jersey provider for the third consecutive year.
“The Amgen Tour of California has always been a great fit to showcase our cutting edge technical apparel for the world’s elite cyclists. This year’s 10th anniversary edition jerseys have been a decade in the making, and we are eager to see them claimed by the best riders in May,” said Scott Kaylin, Champion System co-founder and president.
The five leader jerseys awarded daily at the Amgen Tour of California, America’s largest and most prestigious professional race, each represent a different skill or achievement: overall race leader, “King of the Mountain/Queen of the Mountain,” best sprinter, best young rider and most courageous rider. These five jerseys will be presented daily on stage near the finish line during a special awards ceremony where the recipients will be zipped into their custom leader designs. The leaders’ names will be printed on the back of each jersey for them to wear the following stage, a tradition (personalizing the jerseys with the rider’s name) that began at the 2013 Amgen Tour of California.
The 2015 Amgen Tour of California leader jerseys are:
Amgen Race Leader Jersey: The coveted yellow jersey will be awarded daily to the rider with the lowest cumulative time over the entire race. This traditional yellow jersey often changes hands from stage to stage as each day’s results are added into the equation. It is possible for a rider to win the Amgen Race Leader Jersey without winning a daily stage since the jersey takes into account overall times.
Amgen Breakaway from Cancer® Most Courageous Rider Jersey: This meaningful jersey will be awarded daily to the cyclist who best exemplifies the character of those engaged in the fight against cancer – courage, sacrifice, inspiration, determination and perseverance.
Lexus King of the Mountain (KOM)/Queen of the Mountain (QOM) Jersey: This jersey will go to the peloton’s strongest climber each day. A cyclist earns this jersey by collecting points at designated KOM/QOM locations at the tops of mountains and hills. Only the first three cyclists to reach the top on rated climbs receive points toward this award.
Visit California Sprint Jersey: The “green jersey” is awarded to the rider who accumulates the most bonus points based on Sprint Line performances and finishing the stage in the top ten. Cyclists who specialize in bursts of power and speed, or consistently finish near the top of each stage, have the best chance to wear this respected jersey. Visit California has been a jersey partner since the race’s inception in 2006.
SRAM Best Young Rider Jersey: This jersey, sponsored by SRAM, will be awarded daily to the young rider with the least amount of elapsed time over the entire race to that point. Be on the lookout for these rising cycling stars.
“These athletes are best in class across the board, and one of the ways we pay tribute to them is with leader jerseys that reward their achievements every day of the race,” said Kristin Bachochin Klein, executive director of the Amgen Tour of California and senior vice president of AEG Sports. “Every day at the Amgen Tour of California, fans get to bear witness to amazing feats and moments of triumph to be celebrated. We are thankful to Champion System for helping honor those moments.”
