Oldest to wear yellow

[callhenpen]

I am not so certain that Astana will game 40 seconds tomorrow on Saxo Bank, but if they do, where would LA stand regarding age of yellow jersey wearer? Was Van Impe older?

 

[amp300]

Think so, I think the current record is Alberto Elli at 36. I couldn't find a good combination of words for google to figure out what the hell i was asking. However this was the list i found

1. Elli (Ita, 36 years, yellow in 2000)
2. Bahamontes (Spa, 35, 1963)
3. Bartali (Ita, 35, 1949)
4. Lubberding (Ned, 34, 1988)
5. Zoetemelk (Ned, 33, 1980)
6. Darrigade (Fra, 33, 1962)
7. Riis (Den, 32, 1996) (this made me laugh a lil)

 

[callhenpen]

Nice searching. I had similar trouble and decided to ask people who might know. I was also thinking of Zoetemelk when I asked about Van Impe.

Shouldn't LA be on that list, having won the race at the age of 33 and 10 months?

 

[skidmark]

Yeah, that list has to be wrong. Sastre was 33 when he won the entire race last year, as was Armstrong when he won his last one in 2005. Firmin Lambot was 36 I think when he won in the 20s (though that's off the top of my head, so I'm not sure, but I'm certain he was the oldest winner at 36 or 37)... and that's only winners, not jersey wearers. And of course Raymond Poulidor was almost 40 when he wore the yellow jersey in 1974... oh wait, sorry he was just in 3rd. My mistake. Poor poor Poulidor...

 

[skidmark]

Okay, after a basic search, here is the source, in fact cyclingnews from July 8, 2000. Turns out Elli is the oldest post war (I assume they mean WWII) wearer of the jersey. So that makes sense, since Armstrong and Sastre wore yellow at 33 after this was published. Lambot won in 1922 (I saw 2 sources in the brief check I did, one saying he was 36 and the other 37), so he wasn't on the list either because it was pre-WWII. And it becomes more complicated when you start asking the question of when the yellow was actually introduced, which is a matter of debate. If you went over all the years, there must be a few people older than Elli to wear the jersey. But really, who cares? I guess we do, eh?



Alberto Elli is the oldest Tour leader


Age undaunted
Photo: © AFP
The current wearer of the yellow jersey, Alberto Elli is the oldest leader of the Tour in the post war period. He is 36 years and 4 months old. He is currently ranked 42nd on the UCI scale, with a total of 22 victories in his 14 year career. He turned pro in 1987 with the Remac team, and in that year came second in the Italian national championships. One of his most successful races is the Tour of Luxembourg, in which he has won three stages and the overall classification twice, including this year.

The previous oldest yellow jersey wearer was Frederico Bahamontes (Spain), who was 35 when he wore it.

Oldest yellow jersey wearers

1. Elli (Ita, 36 years, yellow in 2000)
2. Bahamontes (Spa, 35, 1963)
3. Bartali (Ita, 35, 1949)
4. Lubberding (Ned, 34, 1988)
5. Zoetemelk (Ned, 33, 1980)
6. Darrigade (Fra, 33, 1962)
7. Riis (Den, 32, 1996)

 

[amp300]

@skidmark

yeah, the search i did netted me that same cyclingnews article from the 2000 tour. I should have mentioned that, so Sastre would be there if it were up to date.

 

[Epicycle]

@skidmark

yeah, the search i did netted me that same cyclingnews article from the 2000 tour. I should have mentioned that, so Sastre would be there if it were up to date.

Honchar was 36 when he took yellow in 2006 but he was younger than Ellli because he had just turned 36 a few days after the Tour started.

 

[Anonymous]

pre war
Pelissier 34 years 6 months b.01.22.1889 (1923)
Lambot 36 years 4 months b.14.03.1886 (1922)

 

[Epicycle]

pre war
Pelissier 34 years 6 months b.01.22.1889 (1923)
Lambot 36 years 4 months b.14.03.1886 (1922)

Eugene Christophe was 37 years 5 months when he wore yellow in 1922. Still not sure if he was the oldest though. He was also the first man to ever wear yellow.