The Slovenian took power after his victory in Oropa this Sunday. The next day, he got on the starting podium with his pink jersey… and purple shorts. If some have spoken of a lack of taste, this style was totally accepted by the rider and the organizer of the Giro, RCS.
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The pink jersey is worn by the leader of the general classification while the purple jersey is that of the leader of the points classification or Ciclamen. But it was not a mistake. With the complicity of the Giro's jersey sponsor, the organizer wanted, in this way, to pay tribute to the Torino players who perished in the crash of their plane 75 years ago.
The purple shorts thus recall the color of the Torino jersey and the organizer's goal was to see the leader of the general classification wear a pink jersey with these purple shorts.
But this combination did not please the UCI which took a dim view of it. Thus, the International Cycling Union threatened Tadej Pogacar with disqualification if he continued to wear purple shorts with his pink jersey, according to Cyclingnews. No doubt to avoid confusion between the jersey of the leader of the general classification and that of the leader of the points classification.
UCI representatives visited the Slovenian at his UAE team bus this Tuesday morning before the start of the stage. The tone rose between the organizer and the UCI but the latter had the last word since the Slovenian competed in the 4th stage wearing black shorts.
