The Women’s WorldTour leader jerseys have been quietly removed from the UCI rulebook for the 2025 season, bringing an end to a competition that had existed in various forms since the late 1990s. The decision was not formally announced but has been confirmed with the removal of the relevant regulations as of 1st January 2025.
A forgotten ranking system
Unlike other classifications, the Women’s WorldTour leader’s jersey never fully captured public attention. The light blue jersey for the best young rider and the burgundy jersey for the overall leader often went unnoticed due to a lack of proper public awareness. Even the UCI itself did little to promote or explain the standings, leaving fans struggling to remember who was wearing which jersey from race to race without assistance from a commentator.
Adding to the issue, the prioritisation of other jerseys meant the leader’s jersey was often not visible in the peloton. If the Women’s WorldTour leader was also the world champion, the rainbow jersey took precedence, leaving the leaderโs jersey largely irrelevant. Also due to the dominance of winning riders, it rarely changed hands after the early part of the season. Once the classics season had settled down, someone like Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering or Lotte Kopecky simply led the competition until the end of the season.
The historical context
The idea of a season-long jersey is certainly not new. The menโs peloton had the Super Prestige Pernod from 1958 to 1987 before transitioning to the UCI Road World Cup era from 1989 to 2004. That latter competition had its own leaderโs jersey, but when the menโs peloton entered the ProTour era in 2005โeventually becoming the WorldTour in 2009โthe jersey was scrapped as teams hated it. Their best riders would be in a jersey that didn’t have their sponsorship on it during the season’s biggest races.
The womenโs peloton, however, retained a season-long ranking system with a leaderโs jersey from the UCI World Cup era (1998-2015) into the Women’s WorldTour era (2016-2024). But despite lasting nearly a decade under the WorldTour banner, it never gained the prestige or significance that the UCI wished it to have.
A quiet demise
For many, the removal of the jerseys will change little. The competition had faded into obscurity, with its impact minimal in the broader narrative of the Womenโs WorldTour. The most recent season highlighted the issue when Lotte Kopecky, as world champion, never wore the burgundy leader’s jersey for much of 2024, just as she had in parts of 2023.
Now, with the system officially removed from the rulebook, the Women’s WorldTour will continue without a distinct season-long jersey. While the main season-long ranking that determines promotion/relegation and the best team title remains, the attempt to distinguish the competition with its own leaderโs jersey has ended, with little fanfare or notice.