By James Startt
In the evenings, Fabrice Pierrot can be found in a parking lot. He does his work from inside a small Skoda van. For the past eight years, Pierrot has held the unique job of preparing all the distinctive leaders' jerseys found in the Tour de France.
Though the most prestigious jersey at the Tour is, of course, the legendary yellow maillot jaune, three other jerseys are highly sought after: the green points jersey, the polka-dot climbers' jersey, and the white jersey offered to the best young rider.
For Pierrot, the preparation of these four jerseys is no simple task. Prior to the start of the Tour, he stamps the team logo of every team on every possible jersey. More than 260 special podium jerseys with zippers on the back are stocked behind the Tour de France podium.
“Up through the end of the 1980s, we had to wait until results were official at the end each stage and then we would hurry to iron the team sponsor on each jersey before the podium ceremony,” said Jean-François Pescheux, the race director in the Tour. “It was a lot more hectic.”
Maybe so, but Pierrot’s job is hardly simple. Every night after the stage finish, he prepares a selection of jerseys for the four riders who will wear them the following day. Each rider wearing one of the distinctive jerseys is given a selection of five different styles—a short sleeve, long sleeve, rain jacket, vest, and the podium jersey—so he can choose the best kit that suits the weather conditions the following day. All told, Pierrot prints 20 jerseys per day. He also prepares a skinsuit on the eve of a time trial.
“I always wanted to do this,” says Pierrot from the confines of his makeshift workspace in the back of the van. “I was never much of a cyclist, but I love the jerseys and actually collect them.” In fact, Pierrot possesses more than 300 jerseys in his own collection. “But I never ask the riders to sign my own jerseys!” he is quick to point out. “I don’t have the time and don’t want to bother a rider for that.”
Pierrot also has little time for all the Tour followers who come calling, hoping to procure one of his prized possessions. “There are thousands of people on the Tour and I can’t just hand them out,” says Pierrot. “I have jerseys sure, but they are for the riders.”
On most days, Pierrot simply must print the team’s stock logo, but occasionally he has room to make his own mark. “I really wanted to do something for Thor Hushovd this year because he is the world champion and I just thought he was going to do something special here. So I made a special logo for him with the world champion’s rainbow stripes integrated into the logo of his Garmin-Cervelo team. I didn’t tell him about it. But later Thor came up up to me and said, ‘I was really hoping for something like that but did not know who to ask.’ That gave me great pleasure.”
“Occasionally, a rider will ask me for a different size,” Pierrot says. “But a lot of time I think it is so that they can have a few extra to give as gifts.”
Source: http://www.bicycling.com/tour-de-france/tour-features/man-many-colors
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