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If you decide to wear a brightly colored cycling shirt when you venture out onto the road, you will have quite possibly just made a life-saving decision – whether you realized it or not! But cycling shirts are not the only device you can use to give yourself a fighting chance of reaching your destination in one piece. They form a part of your self-preservation armory and belong in the category of Personal Visibility. The other parts are Lighting, Safety Equipment and Training. Your goals, through thorough training, high personal visibility and effective lighting, are to avoid the need to test out the effectiveness of your safety equipment – the last thing you want to do is find out through personal tragedy that it wasn’t effective!

So let’s take a look at some of the available options for staying safe cycling on the roads.

Personal Visibility

Your ability to attract the attention of other road users is paramount, because if they have seen you, there is a negligible chance that they are going to be in collision with you. Unless of course they are taking a chance or they underestimate your speed when approaching a junction – a common cause of accidents is a vehicle overtaking a bike and then cutting across to turn at the junction, usually forcing the cyclist to turn with them.

So to attract attention, wearing really bright clothing is a great start, whether that means cycling shirts, cycling jerseys or heavier cycling jackets. Some people use the terms cycling shirts and cycling jerseys interchangeably; often though, the former will be a short sleeved cycle top, whereas the latter will have long sleeves. But it doesn’t matter; firstly avoid black, grey, brown, dark blue or dark green ones – the kind that drivers will have difficulty spotting at night, or dawn or dusk. Bright yellow, or white, or light green, or red will be good colors. Anything you wouldn’t be seen dead in normally (that choice of words was deliberate!) is good, and the more garish the better. A safety green cycling shirt lie the one pictured is ideal.

If you happen to like your design of cycling jersey or jacket, and it is a dark color, maybe because you ride for a team or club, and those are the team colors, then the next thing to add to your Personal Visibility cache is a high visibility vest, like those often worn in the construction industry. They are great for keeping you highly conspicuous at night as these vests have light-reflective strips, and it is hard for a driver not to see you. And while on the subject of light-reflective strips, it is also a good idea to wear reflecting wrist straps. These have the effect of making you appear wider, as your hands will be positioned apart on the handlebars; they also allow you to indicate your intentions with clearer hand signals when  turning left or right.

Wearing combinations of some of these practical devices will help to make you stand out on the road to other users, and keep you safe. Remember, prevention is better than a trip to the hospital.

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Bike Lighting

Lighting comes in various forms, and includes both powered lights and reflectors. Many bicycles are manufactured these days with four reflectors, under the saddle, on the handlebars, and one on each wheel; it is a good way to prevent a bicycle accident, because you can be seen from all four directions. If your bike is missing any of these, go and find them so you can upgrade your bike safety!

If you are cycling at night, or other times when visibility is poor, you should have powered lights on your bike. Most savvy motorcyclists always have their lights switched on when riding, even in broad daylight, as it adds to their visibility. The norm, as for all other road vehicles, is a white light at the front and red at the rear. For bikes, the lights are usually battery operated, although some are operated by a dynamo and light up when the wheels are turning; of course, this can put you in some danger when you are stationary!

Many people these days also wear some personal lights, either on their backpack or bike helmet; these are LED type lights and flash randomly to warn drivers. It’s best to find a good quality flashing LED light that flashes randomly because people have a tendancy to become accustomed to a regular flash and after a while, begin to filter it out.

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Bicycle Safety Gear

If the worst does happen, and you end up in collision with a vehicle, you will need some bike safety gear to try to minimise injuries. The one piece of gear all riders need is a bicycle helmet. The law varies from place to place, and many countries do not make wearing a bike helmet compulsory. But whether compulsory or not, get yourself a cycling helmet – would you prefer to bash your head against the road after a bike accident, or have a padded helmet take most of the damage? You don’t need to be a brain surgeon really, do you!

As for other safety gear, you might wish to wear knee guards and elbow padding, and perhaps a pair of leather gloves. These will give you some basic protection against scrapes in minor bike accidents. To be realistic, if you suffer a head on collision with a truck, travelling at speed, you are going to suffer major injuries, and your prime concern in this situation is your head. Of course, your “real” prime concern is prevention!

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Bicycle Training

Some countries have formal tests for cyclists (eg the Cycling Proficiency Test in the UK); often they are not compulsory, but it is a wise idea to go and try the test, and learn as much as you can about staying safe on the roads. You will need to obey the rules of the road, and these days many cyclists get killed because they think a red traffic signal doesn’t apply to them, or a one-way street is just one-way for motor vehicles, and they can go the wrong way up it if they like. It does sometimes seem that many of the rules on the road are just there to bully road users; but most are there either for our safety or simply to keep traffic moving smoothly. Cyclists: for your own sakes, stick to the rules!

If you can find courses that teach defensive cycling, go on one. Similarly anything that teaches you awareness is great; think martial arts perhaps. And while on martial arts, find one that will teach you how to fall properly. Many bike accidents result in broken wrists, arms or collar bones as victims throw their arms out when flying over their handlebars. This is needless, as many martial arts teach people how to roll out of similar situations without any injury at all.

So those are some of the things you can do you keep yourself out of harm’s way when road cycling. Make sure you get yourself some super-shiny cycling shirts to improve your chances of being seen; always use your lights when visibility is poor, and perhaps even also when it’s not; always, always wear a bike helmet; and be aware of what is going on around you – that means no ipods or cellphone conversations etc. when riding.

If you want to see some more excellent practical tips on cycling road safety, then read How to Not Get Hit by Cars by Michael Bluejay.

One of the things that stands out in any Tour de France – or indeed any of the three Grand Tours – is the clothing that the riders wear. As the tournaments progress, you get to know the teams that you like by the racing colors of the cycle shirts they wear, and many people are fond of the idea of getting their hands on a shirt representing their favorite team. Like with other sports, colors do change slightly from year to year, and of course the sponsors are changing all the time, as last year’s ones drop out and new support appears from elsewhere. So it is usually a great decision to buy a Pro Team Cycling Jersey for a year when your team did well.

There are a lot of established teams on the Tours these days, but often a completely new team will show up, with a brand new set of riders. This always makes the race very interesting in the early Stages as you try to figure out which team is wearing which colors this year. Mainly, though it is the big well-known ones that take most of the honors in the racing, with fantastic strategies and set ups. For 2010, the Tour de France saw the light blue and yellow cycling shirts of the Astana Team grab the limelight, with powerful front riders such as Vinokourov and Navarro, who did magnificent jobs pace setting the eventual Yellow Jersey Winner, Contador, especially in the mountains.

But for most people who watch the Tour de France, the uniform of the American rider Lance Armstrong who won the Tour an amazing seven consecutive times, and who rode his last one in 2010 in the Team RadioShack colors. Here is some kit you can get your hands on yourself!

	Team RadioShack Wind Cycling Vest – Mens The Team RadioShack Wind Cycling Vest is an absolute essential for every season. This is the piece you’ll grab for those countless days when the weather is unpredictable or when your route will take you through varied terrains or climates.
	Team RadioShack Cycling Cap The Team RadioShack Cycling Cap is a classic cotton cap – ready for on or off the bike. It features the RadioShack logo and brand name, and the Nike Swoosh on the back. It is adjustable so one size fits most people. Made of 100% cotton. Made in Italy.
	Orbea World Champion Cycling Jersey – Short-Sleeve – Men’s Orbea Team White/Blue, 3XL Cadel Evans might be wearing the current World Champion stripes, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t look just as good standing atop a podium in your Orbea World Champion Short-Sleeve Jersey. Designed and built in Italy by Keido Sportswear, the moisture-wicking, 100%-polyester World Champion Jersey also has a three-quarter-length hidden zipper to regulate airflowso at least you’re not a sweaty mess when receiving podium girl kisses.

So those are some of the main cycling shirts you’ll have already seen in this year’s Tour, and no doubt recognise. Check back here often, as styles change from season to season and often these pro team jerseys have variable availability. For more choices of Pro Team Cycling Jerseys check out my other site Triathonline.

So, the stage began much like all the others with a breakaway consisting of 11 riders led by Gautier (BTL). The escape gained traction, and spawned a counterattack by Hunter (GRM) and Popovych (RSH) and by the 25 km mark, the leading group were 2 minutes ahead of the peloton, and the countering group 40 seconds ahead. As was expected, the mountain specialists tested the resolve of other riders all day and on the climbs, riders were dropped if they couldn’t match the pace of their respective groups. By the summit of the second climb (a category 1), the col de la Colombière, there were nine front riders left, chased by a group of two – Cunego and Taaramae; behind this duo was Frohlinger; then a trio consisting of Gadret, Hushovd and Seeldrayers before the pursuing main peloton. However, on the descent there was a general phase of regrouping, leaving a lead group of 12 riders being hunted by the peloton.

As the race continued inexorably closer to the most challenging mountain climb of the Tour, no further major attacks took place, and the leaders steadily extended their time advantage, and with Sanchez at the front, he became the virtual Yellow Jersey with Evans trailing back in the main pack.

(Photo of Anthony Charteau, by Ludo. Reproduced under Creative Commons licence.)

As the ascent of the col de la Madeleine began, the mountain specialists began to stretch the peloton and test the mettle of the other GC contenders. The current King of the Mountains, Pineau, was dropped off the peloton and struggled with the pace of the multiple attacks. Vinokourov took off and left the reamining riders in his dust trail, this group containing the current Yellow Jersey Cadel Evans with a lone team mate, Santambrogio, who assumed the lead of the chasing pack to set pace and keep Evans in contention. Unfortuantely for him, Evans struggled to find the legs to match.

Other riders in the group sensed weakness and capitalized by mounting a huge attack – led by Navarro and promptly matched by his team mate Contador, and the White Jersey holder Andy Schleck. Evans was a spent force at this point and fell off the group. This opened up the chance for Contador and Schleck to fight it out as the two riders left with any real hope of taking the Yellow Jersey overall.

The stage was now set, with many of the hopefuls lost back in the mountains. Four riders were left in the lead group: Casar, Charteau, Cunego and Luis-Leon Sanchez; they were hotly pursued by Contador, Schleck and Moreau (who had dropped off the lead group, but had his team mate Sanchez up in front).

As the front runners played mind games to figure out who was going to attack and when, Contador and Schleck were burning up the road and gaining on the lead group with every second. By the time they had got into the final kilometer, the chase was over and there were seven riders fighting for the win in a tricky sprint finish which saw the road climb and then veer off to the left directly before the finishing the line. Schleck took the lead briefly, but was caught back, and Casar took his first Stage win of this year’s Tour de France (his third in total). Charteau came in fifth, but made strong gains by reaching the summit of the last climb in first place, gaining him the Polka Dot Jersey.

So Stage 9 was an amazing race in the latter stages, and at one point it looked like both Contador and Schleck would steal places from the group which had led the stage from the outset. In the event, they came in 6th and 7th, losing just 2 seconds tothe leaders.

Here are the Stage 9 results and current General Classification (GC) standings:

This means three changes of cycling shirts for the top riders, with Hushovd the only one to retain his Green Jersey today. So Andy Schleck converted his White Young Rider’s Jersey into a Yellow Jersey today with a merciless ride which only Contador was able to match. Evans was the loser in that battle, losing over 8 minutes to Schleck. The White Jersey shuffles its way down to the next best Young Rider, who is Robert Gesink. The Polka Dot Jersey was relinquished today by Pineau, going to Anthony Charteau who put in a great performance in the breakaway group and conquered the first HC climb of the Tour.

The next stage will be contested between Cambéry and Gap, a leg of 179 km, which has a cat. 1 and a cat. 2 climb to negotiate.

As the race got underway, there were several attacks and Kiryienka (GCE) was making progress in his breakaway when there was a crash at the head of the peloton which left several of the riders injured and requiring medical assistance, though they insisted on riding on. They included Evans (BMC), Pineau (QST) and Kreuziger (LIQ). Despite fresh attacks, the group reeastablished itself soon after the crash with Kiryienka swept up. By the 28 km mark six riders mounted a new escape attempt, led by Aerts (OLO), the others being Erviti (GCE), Moerenhout (RAB) and Riblon (ALM), along with Moinard and Minard from Cofidis.

(Photo of Andy Schleck, by Fliedermaus. Reproduced under Creative Commons licence.)

The leading group began to extend their lead, and in what was possibly a misjudgement, Sky riders including Wiggins led the peloton, ramping up the pace, but ultimately burning out, and unable to keep up in the latter stages of the race. It was Rabobank and GMC which took up positions at the head and tried to lead the chase. Garmin also vied for the lead positions and at the 166 km Armstrong was involved in a crash, but remounted and kicked to rejoin the peloton, helped with pacing by team mates. The effort seemed to be too much and the Col de la Ramaz – the first category 1 climb of the Tour – killed off Armstrong, as the others injected more speed into their ascent, which popped him off the back of the group. By the summit, the peloton had split into several groups: the leaders; the group containing Contador, Wiggins, Evans, Schleck and Basso among others; the Armstrong group, and a group further behind containing the Ywllow Jersey rider Chavanel.

On the ascent of the final category 1 climb of the day, the three front runners were eventually swept up 5 km from the finish, by the powerful elite group of riders. Navarro put in an inspirational effort to set pace and protect his team mate Contador as the latter fought to gain time in his quest for the Yellow Jersey. With less than 4 km to go, Wiggins legs gave up and he dropped off the back of the lead group of about 15 riders, promting a series of attacks on the final climb. None were successful until Schleck found a burst, and took off, with Sanchez the only rider left with any legs to counter. He overtook as the two riders fought out the last 500 meters, and Sanchez looked to be on his way to a stage win, but simply didn’t have enough left in the tank to complete the job, as Schleck ducked out from behind his rear wheel and pipped him at the line, getting his first ever stage win in Tours de France.

The positions in the General Classification changed again, and Armstrong is effectively out of the competition, although as far as his Team RadioShack are concerned, they still have a man in the game – Leipheimer. It will be the team’s job to support him from now on.

Here’s the state of play in the General Classification and Results for Stage 8:

So there is a change in the awarded cycling shirts, with the Yellow Jersey going to Cadel Evans; the others remain the same after Stage 8: Green Jersey stays with Thor Hushovd; Polka Dot Jersey stays with Jerome Pineau; and the White Jersey stays firmly with Andy Schleck, who is now in second place for the Yellow.

Tomorrow is the first rest day of the Tour, and a well deserved break from the saddle. however, for several teams, not least Team RadioShack, there will be lots to think about, as they make plans of attack for the remainder of the race.

The big change comes if you enter the arena of indoor cycle racing – this is a serious decision, and one where tenths, even hundredths of a second can mean the difference between glorious gold or loser silver – and this means totally stripped down equipment as well; fixed gear bikes, so no freewheeling, just a single gear to remove all unnecessary weight and less chance of mechanical failures! And cycling shirts, in the conventional sense, may not be good enough for track racing. They’ll be okay for building up endurance, but if you want to improve on your lap times, you should think about wearing the same gear you would use for actual racing. The indoor specialists tend to wear cycling clothing that incorporates both a cycling shirt and cycling shorts into a single skin suit. Skin suits reduce the drag that would be involved when using the baggier types of cycling shirts. This can make all the difference in a competitive event.

Olympic Champion Victoria Pendleton

All the serious contenders on the world competitive stage are wearing the one piece skin suits, as well as more aerodynamic helmets, and the bikes they ride are designed to be light and aerodynamic also. Like motor racing, a lot of thought goes into the engineering of these bikes and the riders, in order to squeeze out maximum speed and power for indoor sprint racing.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics saw the GB Team flying around the track to take a record-winning haul of cycling medals. This was possible because of the rigorous training, supreme talent, hard work and the application of the right kit, and this includes the use of the best clothing – though of course, all teams do use skin suits to grab a few hundredths of a second advantage.

One of the great success stories of 2008 was the awesome Victoria Pendleton (above, photo from Wiki), who became the Individual Olympic Women’s Sprint Champion. She was already the British and World Champion for sprint cycling for 2007 and 2008, and has achieved champion status again this year!

Perhaps the biggest name to reach wide public acclaim because of Beijing is the cycling power-house Chris Hoy. He was the first British Olympian in over a century to win three gold medals at a single tournament, winning Individual Sprint, Team Sprint and Men’s Keirin golds!

So there are great rewards to be had from doing the right training and using the right equipment and clothing. Just remember though, that these guys are really travelling when they race, and a collision can mean serious injuries. Whether you’re wearing cycling shirts or skin suits, you don’t get much protection when you hit the track at upto 70km/h, as you can see from Chris Hoy’s terrifying crash at Copenhagen in February this year. Thankfully he’s fine.

The simple answer is that you can’t just walk into any clothes store and grab yourself a cycling shirt, but they are widely available. Most towns have at least one specialist cycling store, and they’ll sell all manner of bike-related products, including the bicycles themselves, but also protective equipment such as helmets; security locks to secure your bike if you have to leave it anywhere; and various spare parts such as tires, break cables etc. Many will also sell the specialist cycling shirts.

I have found that many of the products sold in the cycling stores tend to be rather expensive, so it is always advised to shop around (as with buying anything these days!)

The internet is a great place to find cycling jerseys and you’ll be pretty spoilt for choice. You can check out the manufacturers themselves, for example Giordana, Bellwether, Castelli or Polaris. Or dig around the online sports stores. Many have a cycling section where you can get all the gear you need for casual or more intense cycling.

Amazon seems to sell pretty much everything these days, and cycling shirts are there on the goods list also. They have a decent selection so a quick perusal of their site might give you some ideas, even if you decide to simply note down the ones you are interested in and then go down town to see if you can find them in the stores – always a good ploy as you can try them on there and then.

There is also the option of checking out the specialist running and jogging stores in your town, especially if you are a casual rider looking for a tee-shirt to go riding in. It’s probably still best to opt for a tee-shirt with moisture wicking ability for your comfort. And that’s why I suggest running shops, as they’ll stock a variety. Go for something ‘loud’ and garish so you’ll be seen on the road by others.

If you can’t find a local cycling specialist store or one that sells wicking shirts for runners, how about looking for an outdoors or hiking supplies store. They’ll often have wicking tops that should keep you dry and comfortable when out riding.

Hopefully you’ll find some decent cycling shirts nearby and start to benefit from what they have to offer, rather than relying on standard cotton tee-shirts, which will get waterlogged on hard rides and cause all sorts of havoc with your body’s thermostat!

There are plenty of other options for people looking for a comfy shirt for cycling in, and perhaps the best of all is the plain old tee-shirt. You won’t be racing, so a skintight fit isn’t necessary for reducing drag. It’s probably fair to say you won’t be haunched over the handlebars, head down and pumping the pedals like the clappers. So you won’t need a ‘proper’ cycling shirt with length down the back. In fact, you’ll almost certainly be sitting upright and looking at the scenery as you go, enjoying a leisurely ride.

So, there are a few considerations. These will depend on the time of year and the corresponding weather conditions, and also whether you intend to go out in traffic.

Weather first. Wear comfortable cycling shirts to reflect the temperature; tee-shirts for the summer and long-sleeved shirts for when it’s colder. You can get decent cycling jackets in the stores for riding in colder temperatures. In all cases, for your own comfort – especially if you sweat a lot – go for a fabric that has moisture wicking capabilities. These are more expensive but make a huge difference to your comfort when cycling longer distances. Some places sell moisture wicking cycling shirts specifically, but I don’t see any reason not to get the wicking shirts used for jogging or hiking.

The important point about moisture wicking materials is that if you start layering your clothes, make sure all the items can wick moisture. If you have one layer that wicks, and another that doesn’t, it won’t work properly, and you’ll probably end up feeling less comfortable than you were hoping to be.

That’s your comfort taken care of. Now onto road safety. Like with many of the professional cycling shirts worn by racers, cycling tee-shirts are available in some pretty revolting and dayglo color combinations – pick one of those. Not a black or grey one for night-riding! You need to do your utmost to be seen by motorists if you are on the roads, and even though you might not think the color scheme is very fashionable, it will more likely than not get the attention of drivers, and help keep you safe.

And finally, if you really don’t want to be shelling out cash for new cycling shirts of any description, then my advice is to wear a normal tee-shirt, make sure it’s bright, and don’t forget to take a spare with you to change into when you’ve reached your destination.

Obviously the professional racing cyclists wear specialized cycle jerseys to display which team they ride for, and also to advertise their team sponsors. But if you just like to hurtle along normal streets in town, you may be better off wearing a cycling shirt as many of them are made in a vast array of eye-catching and sometimes garish color schemes. This is a good thing if you are riding in busy towns with a lot of traffic on the roads – basically you want to be seen by other road users. So if you are not a racer, think of the bright colors as a safety feature.

A quite separate advantage of wearing cycling shirts is that they are tailored to be longer at the back than the front. You will be leaning over most of the time if you are riding at speed, and will prefer for your shirt not to slide halfway up your back. The front is normally fastened using a long zipper, and obviously you can adjust this to where you want it, to cool down if you’ve been training hard or the weather is very hot.

On the subject of comfort, many cycling shirts these days are made from Hi-Tec fabrics which allow breathability. In other words, like specialized garments that runners wear, the material wicks away moisture from the skin surface of the wearer, and so these shirts help to keep you comfortable and dry.

Cycling jerseys generally have pockets which are on the rear; heavy items can get in the way if the pockets are on the front of the shirt. Some have multiple pockets, some have zips on the pockets, which are the ones I prefer as things don’t fall out of them!

If you are cycling in colder weather you can wear long sleeved cycling shirts, some of which are designed to keep you warm, with elasticated cuffs and waistbands, and the all-important moisure wicking ability.

So the main tips (and reasons)  for getting a cycling shirt are to decide on long or short sleeves; aim to buy a jersey that wicks moisture away from your skin, as it will keep you so much more comfortable during rides which require periods of high and low intensity. And use a cycling shirt that allows you to be highly visible to motorists – bright yellow, green or red are good colors to try.

Tour de France yellow jersey

The fiftieth anniversary of the Tour de France saw the introduction of a new cycling shirt color – the green jersey, or maillot vert. This shirt gets worn by the racer with the highest number of individual points, the points being awarded for sprints at the end of each stage of the Tour. There are four different types of stage, each with its own scoring system. In order of highest points on offer, they are: flat stages; medium mountain stages; high mountain stages; and time trials. Not only are the points lower for the winning rider in each of these types of stage, but the number of riders awarded points also reduces. So in flat sprints, the first 25 racers are awarded points, the winner receiving 35; but with time trials, only the first 10 get points, with the winner awarded only 15. The wearer of the green jersey is the rider with the most cumulative points. If more than one rider has the same points total, then the number of stage wins is taken into account.

The third important cycling shirt color in Tour de France racing is white with red polka-dots, and is worn by the cyclist called the King of the Mountains. Points are given to the first to reach the peaks of certain hills and mountains along the route. The climbs are divided into categories according to steepness and duration, with the easiest numbered 4 and the hardest numbered 1 – and even climbs dubbed ‘beyond classification’. As with the green jersey system, the polka-dot jersey sees more points-winners and higher points awarded for the more difficult climbs; and on the last climb of each stage, double points are earned if the hill is classed as ‘beyond classification (hors categorie)’ as well as categories 1 and 2.

So in future, when you see these colored cycling shirts whizzing past (except perhaps for the polka-dot one!), as you watch the Tour de France, you might ponder how much sustained effort these cyclists have had to put in, on their quest to win the final yellow jersey!