Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
{{infobox country|native name	Bailiwick of Jersey''Bailliage de Jersey''
Common name	Jersey
Image coat	Jersey coa.svg
Map caption
National anthem	"God Save the Queen" (official)"Ma Normandie" ("My Normandy") (official for occasions when distinguishing anthem required)
Official languages	English, French
Regional languages	Jèrriais
Ethnic groups	51.1% Jersey, 34.8% Britons, 6.4% Portuguese, 2.6% Irish, 1.7% French, 2.3% other white, 1.1% other
Capital	Saint Helier
Largest city	capital
Government type	Parliamentary system, Constitutional monarchy and Crown dependency
Leader title1	Duke
Leader name1
Leader title2	Lieutenant Governor
Leader name2	Currently Vacant, pending Sir John McColl being sworn in
Leader title3	Bailiff
Leader name3	Michael Birt
Leader title4	Chief Minister
Leader name4	Senator Terry Le Sueur
Area rank	219th
Area magnitude	1 E8
Area km2	116
Area sq mi	45
Percent water	0
Population estimate	92,500
Population estimate rank	190th
Population estimate year	December 2009
Population density km2	797
Population density sq mi	2,064
Population density rank	14th²
Gdp ppp	£3.6 billion
Gdp ppp rank	167th
Gdp ppp year	2003
Gdp ppp per capita	£40,000 (2003 estimate)
Gdp ppp per capita rank	6th
Sovereignty type	Status
Sovereignty note	British Crown dependency
Established event1	Separation from mainland Normandy
Established event2	Liberation from German occupation
Established date1	1204
Established date2	9 May 1945
Hdi	n/a
Hdi rank	n/a
Hdi year	n/a
Hdi category	n/a
Currency	Pound sterling³ (However, the Euro is still accepted.)
Currency code	GBP
Time zone	GMT4
Utc offset dst	+1
Drives on	left
Cctld	.je
Calling code	+44 spec. +44-1534(landline)+44-7797, +44-7937, +44-7509(Jersey Telecom mobile)+44-7700(Sure mobile)+44-7829(Airtel-Vodafone mobile)
Patron saint	St. Helier
Footnote1	Jersey’s Resident Population 2007
Footnote2	Rank based on population density of Channel Islands including Guernsey.
Footnote3	The States of Jersey issue their own sterling notes and coins (see Jersey pound).
Footnote4	In a referendum on 16 October 2008, voters rejected a proposal to adopt Central European Time, by 72.4%. }}

The Bailiwick of Jersey (, ; Jèrriais: ''Jèrri'') is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the ''Minquiers'' and ''Écréhous'', and the ''Pierres de Lecq'' and other rocks and reefs.

Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey are often referred to as 'the Channel Islands' but they are not a constitutional or political unit. The three Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man each has a separate relationship to the British Crown. All are part of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is constitutionally responsible for the defence of Jersey. Jersey is not a part of the European Union but has a special relationship with it, being treated as part of the European Community for the purposes of free trade in goods.

Toponymy

Old mentions

''Andium'' (?) 4^e C. ''insula Gersoi'' 1022/1026. ''insula Gerseii'', var. ''Gersey'', ''Gersei'', ''Gersoii'' 1042. ''Gersus'' ~1070. ''insula de Gerzoi'' 1080/~1082. ''insula de Gersoi'' 1066/1083. ''insula Gersoi'' 1066/1083. ''l'isle de Gersui'' 1160/1174. ''in Gersoio'' 1223/1236. ''Gersuy'' 1339. ''Gersui'' 1339. ''insula de Jersey'' 1372. ''insula de Jereseye'' 1372. ''insula de Gersey'' 1386. ''insula […] de Jersey'' 1419. ''Iarsay'' [read ''Jarsay''] 1585. ''Jarsey'' 1693. ''Jerzey'' 1753. ''Isle de Gersey'' 1753/1785. ''Ile de Jersey'' 1854.

Etymology

The Channel Islands are mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary as following : ''Sarnia'', ''Caesarea'', ''Barsa'', ''Silia'' and ''Andium'', but none of them corresponds to the present names. So that Jersey's first name cannot be really identified. Furthermore, later records evoke ''Angia'' (also spelled ''Agna'' ).

''Andium'', a Latinized version of the Gaulish (Celtic) ''*Andion'', with ''and-'' Gaulish intensive prefix meaning "very", "much", "big". ''Andium'' will be the "big Island". It is actually the largest one among the Channel Islands. The spelling ''Angia'' could be an ultimate development of ''*Andia''.

Some others identify it as ''Caesarea'', a late recorded Roman name influenced by Old English suffix ''-ey'' for "island"; this is plausible if, in the regional pronunciation of Latin, ''Caesarea'' was not but .

''Angia'' could be a misspelling for ''*Augia'', that is the Latinized form of Germanic ''*aujō'' (> Old English ''ī(e)ġ'' > is-land).), that could have extended before the Viking Age along the coast of France, as for île d'Yeu (''Augia'', ''Insula Oya'') or Oye-Plage (''Ogia'' 7th C.) and constitutes the suffix ''-ey'' in Jersey, Guernsey (''Greneroi''), Alderney (''Alneroi'') and Chausey (''Calsoi''). Chausey can be compared with Cholsey (GB, Berkshire, ''Ċeolesiġ'' 891), interpreted by Eilert Ekwall as "''Ċeola'' 's island".

These ''-ey'' names could have been reinforced by the Viking heritage, because ''-ey'' is similar, so that it is possible to interpret the first part of the toponym as an Old Norse element. The source of it is unclear. Scholars surmise it derives from ''jarð'' (Old Norse for "earth") or ''jarl'' (earl), or perhaps a personal name, ''Geirr'' ("Geirr's Island").

History

Jersey history is influenced by its strategic location between the northern coast of France and the southern coast of England; the island's recorded history extends over a thousand years.

Evidence of Bronze Age and early Iron Age settlements can be found in many locations around the island. Archaeological evidence of Roman influence has been found, in particular the coastal headland site at Le Pinacle, Les Landes, where remains of a primitive structure are attributed to Gallo-roman temple worship (''fanum''). Evidence for settled Roman occupation has yet to be established.

Jersey was invaded by Vikings in the ninth century. Formerly under the control of Brittany, but in the archbishopric of Rouen, the island was eventually annexed to the Duchy of Normandy by William Longsword, Duke of Normandy in 933 and it became one of the Norman Islands. When William's descendant, William the Conqueror, conquered England in 1066, the Duchy of Normandy and the kingdom of England were governed under one monarch. The Dukes of Normandy owned considerable estates on the island, and Norman families living on their estates founded many of the historical Norman-French Jersey family names. King John lost all his territories in mainland Normandy in 1204 to King Philip II Augustus, but retained possession of Jersey, along with Guernsey and the other Channel Islands. The islands have been internally self-governing since then.

Islanders travelled across the North Atlantic to participate in the Newfoundland fisheries in the late 16th century. In recognition for help given to him during his exile in Jersey in the 1640s, Charles II gave George Carteret, bailiff and governor, a large grant of land in the American colonies in between the Hudson and Delaware rivers which he promptly named New Jersey. It is now a state in the United States of America.

Trade laid the foundations of prosperity, aided by neutrality between England and France. The Jersey way of life involved agriculture, milling, fishing, shipbuilding, and production of woollen goods. 19th century improvements in transport links brought tourism to the island.

During World War II, Jersey was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1 July 1940 until 9 May 1945, when Germany surrendered.

Politics

Jersey's unicameral legislature is the Assembly of the States of Jersey. It includes fifty-three elected members: twelve senators (elected on an island-wide basis), twelve Connétables (often called 'constables', heads of parishes) and twenty-nine deputies (representing constituencies), all elected for four year terms as from the October 2011 elections. There are also five non-voting members appointed by the Crown: the Bailiff, the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and Solicitor General.

The government is a Council of Ministers, consisting of a Chief Minister and nine ministers. Each minister may appoint up to two assistant ministers. A Chief Executive is head of the civil service. Some government functions are carried out in the island's twelve parishes.

The Bailiff is President (presiding officer) of the States Assembly, head of the judiciary and as civic head of the island carries out various ceremonial roles.

As one of the Crown Dependencies, Jersey is autonomous and self-governing, with its own independent legal, administrative and fiscal systems. In 1973, the Royal Commission on the Constitution set out the duties of the Crown as including: ultimate responsibility for the 'good government' of the Crown Dependencies; ratification of island legislation by Order in Council (Royal Assent); international representation, subject to consultation with the island authorities before concluding any agreement which would apply to them; ensuring the islands meet their international obligations; and defence.

Elizabeth II's traditional title as Head of State is Duke of Normandy. "The Crown" is defined by the Law Officers of the Crown as the "Crown in right of Jersey". The Queen's representative and adviser in the island is the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey. He is a point of contact between Jersey ministers and the United Kingdom government and carries out executive functions in relation to immigration control, deportation, naturalisation and the issue of passports. Since 2006, the incumbent Lieutenant Governor has been Lieutenant General Andrew Ridgway.

Legal system

Jersey is a distinct jurisdiction for the purposes of conflict of laws, separate from the other Channel Islands, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Jersey law has been influenced by several different legal traditions, in particular Norman customary law, English common law and modern French civil law. Jersey's legal system is therefore described as 'mixed' or 'pluralistic', and sources of law are in French and English languages, although since the 1950s the main working language of the legal system is English.

The principal court is the Royal Court, with appeals to the Jersey Court of Appeal and, ultimately, to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Bailiff is head of the judiciary; the Bailiff and the Deputy Bailiff are appointed by the Crown. Other members of the island's judiciary are appointed by the Bailiff.

Parishes

Administratively, Jersey is divided into twelve parishes. All border on the sea. They were named after the Christian saints to whom their ancient parish churches were dedicated:

Grouville (historically ''Saint Martin de Grouville''; incorporating Les Minquiers)

Saint Brélade

Saint Clément

Saint Helier

Saint John

Saint Lawrence

Saint Martin (historically ''Saint Martin le Vieux''; incorporating Les Écréhous)

Saint Mary

Saint Ouen

Saint Peter

Saint Saviour

Trinity

The parishes of Jersey are further divided into ''vingtaines'' (or, in St. Ouen, ''cueillettes''), divisions that are historic. Today they are used chiefly for purposes of local administration and electoral constituency.

The Connétable is the head of each parish, elected at a public election for a four-year term to run the parish and to represent the municipality in the Assembly of the States of Jersey. The Procureur du Bien Public (two in each parish) is the legal and financial representative of the parish (elected at a public election since 2003 in accordance with the ''Public Elections (Amendment) (Jersey) Law 2003''; formerly an Assembly of Electors of each parish elected the Procureurs in accordance with the ''Loi (1804) au sujet des assemblées paroissiales''). A Procureur du Bien Public is elected for three years as a public trustee for the funds and property of the parish and may contract when authorised by a Parish Assembly. The Parish Assembly is the decision-making body of local government in each parish; it consists of all entitled voters of the parish.

Each parish elects its own force of Honorary Police consisting of ''Centeniers'', ''Vingteniers'' and Constable's Officers. Centeniers are elected at a public election within each parish for a term of three years to undertake policing within the parish. The Centenier is the only officer authorised to charge and bail offenders. Formerly, the senior Centenier of each parish (entitled the ''Chef de Police'') deputised for the Connétable in the States of Jersey when the Connétable was unable to attend a sitting of the States. This function has now been abolished.

International relations

Although diplomatic representation is reserved to the Crown, Jersey has been developing its own international identity over recent years. It negotiates directly with foreign governments on matters within the competence of the States of Jersey. Jersey maintains the ''Bureau de Jersey'' in Caen, France, a permanent non-diplomatic representation, with a branch office in Rennes. A similar office, the ''Maison de Normandie'' in St. Helier, represents the ''Conseil général'' of Manche and the ''Conseil régional'' of Basse-Normandie. It hosts the Consulate of France.

Jersey is a member of the British-Irish Council, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie. Jersey wants to become a full member of the Commonwealth in its own right.

International identity

In 2007, the Chief Minister and the UK Lord Chancellor signed an agreement that established a framework for the development of the international identity of Jersey. The agreement stated that:

the UK has no democratic accountability in and for Jersey;

the UK will not act internationally on behalf of Jersey without prior consultation;

Jersey has an international identity that is different from that of the UK;

the UK recognises that the interests of Jersey may differ from those of the UK, and the UK will seek to represent any differing interests when acting in an international capacity; and

the UK and Jersey will work together to resolve or clarify any differences that may arise between their respective interests.

In January 2011, the Chief Minister designated one of his assistant ministers as having responsibility for external relations; he is now often described as the island's 'foreign minister'.

Tax information exchange agreements (TIEAs) have been signed directly by the island with several countries, including the United States of America (2002), the Netherlands (2007), Denmark, the Faroes, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway (2008), the United Kingdom, France, Australia and New Zealand (2009).

Relationship with the European Union

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Jersey is neither a Member State nor an Associate Member of European Union. It does, however, have a relationship with the EU governed by Protocol 3 to the UK’s Treaty of Accession in 1972. Protocol 3 and other relevant treaty provisions are made part of Jersey Law by the European Communities (Jersey) Law 1973. The relationship between the Channel Islands and the EU cannot be changed without the unanimous agreement of all Member States and Island authorities.

Under Protocol 3, Jersey is part of the European Union Customs Union of the European Community. The common customs tariff, levies and other agricultural import measures apply to trade between the island and non-Member States. There is free movement of goods and trade between the island and Member States. EU rules on freedom of movement for workers do not apply in Jersey. Nor is Jersey part of the single market in financial services. It is not required to implement EU Directives on such matters as movement of capital, company law or money laundering. Jersey plans to incorporate such measures where appropriate, with particular regard to the island's commitment to meeting international standards of financial regulation and countering money laundering and terrorist financing.

British citizens who have only a connection to Jersey, and not with the United Kingdom or another Member state of the European Union, are not considered to be European Union citizens. They have 'Islander status' and their Jersey-issued British passports are endorsed with the words 'the holder is not entitled to benefit from EU provisions relating to employment or establishment'.

Jersey residents do not have a right to vote in elections for the European Parliament. Jersey and Guernsey jointly opened an office in Brussels in 2010 to promote their common interests with European Union institutions. Jersey is particularly concerned about European Union legislation and reforms that may affect its trading partners in international financial centres round the world.

Independence

The question of Jersey's independence has been discussed from time to time in the Assembly of the States of Jersey. In 2005-2008, a working group of the States of Jersey examined the options for independence, concluding that Jersey 'is equipped to face the challenges of independence' but making no recommendations. Proposals for Jersey independence continue to be discussed outside the States.

Geography

Jersey is an island measuring 118.2 square kilometres (65,569 vergée / 46 sq mi), including reclaimed land and intertidal zone. It lies in the English Channel, approximately from the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, France, and approximately south of Great Britain. It is the largest and southernmost of the Channel Islands, with a maximum land elevation of 143 m (469 ft) above sea level.

The climate is temperate with mild winters and cool summers. The average annual temperature, is similar to the South Coast of England and the mean annual total sunshine is 1912 hours. The terrain consists of a plateau sloping from long sandy bays in the south to rugged cliffs in the north. The plateau is cut by valleys running generally north-south.

Economy

Thanks to specialisation in a few high-return sectors, at purchasing power parity Jersey has high economic output per capita, substantially ahead of all of the world's large developed economies. The ''CIA World Factbook'' estimate of Jersey's GDP per capita for 2005 is US$57,000, surpassed only by two other small states with similar economic characteristics, Bermuda and Luxembourg. However, this is not indicative of each individual resident's purchasing power, and the actual standard of living in Jersey is comparable to that in the United Kingdom outside central London . Jersey's economy is based on financial services, tourism, electronic commerce and agriculture; financial services contribute approximately 60 percent of the island's economy. The island is recognised as one of the leading offshore financial centres. In June 2005 the States introduced the Competition (Jersey) Law 2005 to regulate competition and stimulate economic growth. This competition law was based on that of other jurisdictions.

Aside from its banking and finance (and the finance industries supporting industries), Jersey depends on tourism. In 2006 there were 729,000 visitors (down 3% on the previous year) but total visitor spending rose 1% to £222m. Duty-free goods are available for purchase on travel to and from the island.

Major agricultural products are potatoes and dairy produce. The source of milk is Jersey cattle, a small breed of cow that has also been acknowledged (though not widely so) for the quality of its meat. The Jersey cow has more widely been known for its rich milk and cream. It is said the first immigrants to America (who settled in Virginia) brought the Jersey Cow along with them. Nowadays, visiting the Isle of Jersey, many local businesses support and thrive on the export of "Jersey Cow" milk, cream and fudge.

Farmers and growers often sell surplus food and flowers in boxes on the roadside. The Isle of Jersey has long been an agricultural community. They rely on the honesty of customers to drop the correct change into the money box and take what they want. In the 21st century, diversification of agriculture and amendments in planning strategy have led to farm shops replacing many of the roadside stalls.

On 18 February 2005, Jersey was granted Fairtrade Island status.

Taxation

Until the 20th century, the States relied on indirect taxation to finance the administration of Jersey. The levying of ''impôts'' (duties) different from those of the United Kingdom was granted by Charles II and remained in the hands of the Assembly of Governor, Bailiff and Jurats until 1921 when that body's tax raising powers were transferred to the Assembly of the States, leaving the Assembly of Governor, Bailiff and Jurats to serve simply as licensing bench for the sale of alcohol (this fiscal reform also stripped the Lieutenant-Governor of most of his effective remaining administrative functions). The Income Tax Law of 1928 introducing income tax was the first law drafted entirely in English. Income tax has been levied at a flat rate of 20% set by the occupying Germans during World War II.

As VAT has not been levied in the island, luxury goods have often been cheaper than in the UK or in France, providing an incentive for tourism from neighbouring countries. The absence of VAT has also led to the growth of the fulfilment industry, whereby low-value luxury items, such as videos, lingerie and contact lenses are exported, avoiding VAT on arrival and thus undercutting local prices on the same products. In 2005, the States of Jersey announced limits on licences granted to non-resident companies trading in this way.

Although Jersey does not have VAT, the States of Jersey introduced a goods and services tax (GST) on 6 May 2008, at a standard rate of 3%. The rate was amended to 5% on the 1st June 2011. Some supplies are taxed at 0% and others exempt.

Jersey is not subject to European Union fiscal legislation and its Zero-Ten legislation will be compliant with the Code of Conduct in business taxation as from the removal of the deemed distribution and attribution anti-avoidance legislation as of 31 December 2011, which was apparently criticised by certain unnamed members of the Code of Conduct Group. The Code of Conduct Group, at least in theory, keeps most of its documentation and discussion confidential. The European Commission has confirmed that the Code is not a legal instrument, and therefore is not legally binding, only becoming of limited "political" authority once a unanimous report has been adopted by the Group at the end of the Presidency concerned.

Currency

Jersey issues its own Jersey banknotes and coins that circulate with UK coinage, Bank of England notes, Scottish notes and Guernsey currency within the island. Jersey currency is not legal tender outside Jersey: However, in the United Kingdom it is ''acceptable tender'' and can be surrendered at banks within that country in exchange for Bank of England-issued currency on a like-for-like basis.

Coinage

Designs on the reverse of Jersey coins: 1p Le Hocq Tower (coastal defence) 2p L'Hermitage, site where St. Helier lived 5p Seymour Tower (offshore defence)

10p La Pouquelaye de Faldouet (dolmen)

20p La Corbière Lighthouse

50p Grosnez Castle (ruins)

The main currency of Jersey is the pound, although in many places the euro is accepted because of the positioning of the island. Pound coins are issued, but are much less widely used than pound notes. Designs on the reverse of Jersey pound coins include historic ships built in Jersey and a series of the twelve parishes' crests. The motto round the milled edge of Jersey pound coins is '''' (). Two pound coins are issued also, but in very small quantities.

Demographics

The island has numerous residents born outside Jersey; 47% of the population are not native to the island. The total population is nearly 88,000. Thirty percent of the population is concentrated in Saint Helier, the island's only town.

Censuses have been undertaken in Jersey since 1821. The most recent was the 2001 Census conducted on March 11. Of the roughly 88,000 people in Jersey, around 40 percent identify as of Jersey / Norman descent and 40 percent of British (English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish) descent. The largest minority groups in the island are Portuguese (around 7%, especially Madeiran); and Irish. The ethnic French community is also present and there is a growing community of Russian immigrants .

The people of Jersey are often called islanders or, in individual terms, Jerseyman or Jerseywoman. Some Jersey-born people identify as British and value the special relationship between the British Crown and the island.

Religion in Jersey has a complex history and much diversity. The established church is the Church of England. In the countryside, Methodism found its traditional stronghold. A minority of Roman Catholics can also be found in Jersey. There are two Catholic private secondary schools: De La Salle College in Saint Saviour is an all-boys school, and Beaulieu Convent School in Saint Helier is an all-girls school; and FCJ primary school in St. Saviour. A Catholic order of Sisters has a presence in school life.

Immigration

Jersey belongs to the Common Travel Area and the definition of "United Kingdom" in the British Nationality Act 1981 is interpreted as including the UK and the Islands together.

For immigration and nationality purposes, the United Kingdom generally treats Jersey as though it were part of the UK. Jersey is constitutionally entitled to restrict immigration by non-Jersey residents, but control of immigration at the point of entry cannot be introduced for British, certain Commonwealth and EEA nationals without change to existing international law. Immigration is therefore controlled by a mixture of restrictions on those without ''residential status'' purchasing or renting property in the island and restrictions on employment. Migration policy is to move to a registration system to integrate residential and employment status. Jersey maintains its own immigration and border controls. United Kingdom immigration legislation may be extended to Jersey by order in council (subject to exceptions and adaptations) following consultation with Jersey and with Jersey's consent. Although Jersey citizens are full British citizens, an endorsement restricting the right of establishment in European Union states other than the UK is placed in the passports of British citizens connected solely with the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. Those who have a parent or grandparent born in the United Kingdom, or who have lived in the United Kingdom for five years, are not subject to this restriction.

Historical large-scale immigration was facilitated by the introduction of steamships (from 1823). By 1840, up to 5,000 English people, mostly half-pay officers and their families, had settled in Jersey. In the aftermath of 1848, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Italian and French political refugees came to Jersey. Following Louis Napoléon's coup of 1851, more French ''proscrits'' arrived. By the end of the 19th century, well-to-do British families, attracted by the lack of income tax, were settling in Jersey in increasing numbers, establishing St Helier as a predominantly English-speaking town.

Seasonal work in agriculture had depended mostly on Bretons and mainland Normans from the 19th century. The growth of tourism attracted staff from the United Kingdom. Following Liberation in 1945, agricultural workers were mostly recruited from the United Kingdom – the demands of reconstruction in mainland Normandy and Brittany employed domestic labour.

Until the 1960s, the population had been relatively stable for decades at around 60,000 (excluding the Occupation years). Economic growth spurred immigration and a rise in population. From the 1960s Portuguese workers arrived, mostly working initially in seasonal industries in agriculture and tourism.

A trend that has developed over the past few years is the setting up of recruitment agencies in a number of countries in the world, to employ either cheap labour (often from poor countries) or qualified/experienced labour. Amongst the countries that have been targeted for this type of recruitment are: Australia, Cyprus, Kenya, Latvia, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, and South Africa.

Culture

Until the 19th century, indigenous Jèrriais – a variety of Norman – was the language of the island, though French was used for official business. During the 20th century an intense language shift took place and Jersey today is predominantly English-speaking. Jèrriais nonetheless survives; around 2,600 islanders (three percent) are reckoned to be habitual speakers, and some 10,000 (12 percent) in all claim some knowledge of the language, particularly amongst the elderly in rural parishes. There have been efforts to revive Jèrriais in schools, and the highest number of declared Jèrriais speakers is in the capital.

The dialects of Jèrriais differ in phonology and, to a lesser extent, lexis between parishes, with the most marked differences to be heard between those of the west and east. Many place names are in Jèrriais, and French and English place names are also to be found. Anglicisation of the toponymy increased apace with the migration of English people to the island.

Some Neolithic carvings are the earliest works of artistic character to be found in Jersey. Only fragmentary wall-paintings remain from the rich mediaeval artistic heritage, after the wholesale iconoclasm of the Calvinist Reformation of the 16th century.

Printing arrived in Jersey only in the 1780s, but the island supported a multitude of regular publications in French (and Jèrriais) and English throughout the 19th century, in which poetry, most usually topical and satirical, flourished (see Jèrriais literature).

The island is particularly famous for the Battle of Flowers, a carnival held annually since 1902. Annual music festivals include Rock in the Park, Avanchi presents Jazz in July, Jersey Live, the music section of the Jersey Eisteddfod. Other festivals include ''La Fête dé Noué'' (Christmas festival), ''La Faîs'sie d'Cidre'' (cidermaking festival), the Battle of Britain air display, food festivals, and parish events. Branchage Jersey International Film Festival has recently become a major addition to Jersey's cultural calendar attracting filmmakers from all over the world.

The island's patron saint is Saint Helier.

Media

Broadcast

BBC Radio Jersey provides a radio service, and BBC Channel Islands News with headquarters in Jersey provides a joint television news service with Guernsey.

Channel Television is a regional ITV franchise shared with the Bailiwick of Guernsey but with its headquarters in Jersey.

Channel 103 is a commercial radio station.

The Frémont Point transmitting station is a facility for FM and television transmission at Frémont

Newspaper

Jersey's only newspaper, the ''Jersey Evening Post'', claims that it has an average issue readership of 73% of adults in Jersey and that over the course of a week 93 per cent of all adults will read a copy of the newspaper, it being the main printed source of local news and official notices. The newspaper features a weekly Jèrriais column accompanied by English-language précis.

Magazines

Lifestyle magazines include ''Gallery Magazine'' (monthly), ''Jersey Now'' (quarterly) and ''The Jersey Life'' (monthly).

''Les Nouvelles Chroniques du Don Balleine'' is a quarterly literary magazine in Jèrriais.

"20/20 magazine" is the island's only annual personal finance magazine; Global Assets the island's online quarterly international offshore finance magazine is also produced by the same company.

Grassroots Festival

Grassroots is the island's boutique summer festival which is held in July each year. This is the first music festival of the summer season and has chilled out, funky reggae, soul, funk, indie music, eco vibe. It is held in Val de la Mare Reservoir sitting directly back from St Ouen's main surfing beach and attracts over 4,500 people.

Jersey Live

Jersey Live is an indie/dance music festival held annually at The Royal Jersey Showground in the parish of Trinity. The festival has grown in popularity and size each year and has drawn interest from people outside the Channel Islands with foreign visitors making up approximately 27% of the 2006 crowd.

Cinema

In 1909, T.J. West established the first cinema in the Royal Hall in St. Helier, which became known as West's Cinema in 1923 (demolished 1977). The first talking picture, ''The Perfect Alibi'', was shown on 30 December 1929 at the Picture House in St. Helier. The Jersey Film Society was founded on 11 December 1947 at the Café Bleu, West's Cinema. The large Art Deco Forum Cinema was opened in 1935 – during the German occupation this was used for German propaganda films.

The Odeon Cinema was opened 2 June 1952 and, was later rebranded in the early 21st century as the Forum cinema. Its owners, however, struggled to meet tough competition from the Cineworld Cinemas group, which opened a 10 screen multiplex on the waterfront centre in St. Helier on reclaimed land in December 2002 and the Forum closed its doors in late 2008.

Since 1997, Kevin Lewis (formerly of the Cine Centre and the New Forum) has arranged the Jersey Film Festival, a charity event showing the latest and also classic films outdoors in 35 mm on a big screen. The 2006 festival was held in Howard Davis Park, St Saviour, on the 12–18 August 2006. In 2008 the boutique ''Branchage'' film festival was held.

In August 2006, plans were revealed to convert the former Odeon building into a department store while retaining the landmark architecture.

Food and drink

Seafood has traditionally been important to the cuisine of Jersey: mussels (called ''moules'' locally), oysters, lobster and crabs – especially spider crabs – ormers, and conger.

Jersey milk being very rich, cream and butter have played a large part in insular cooking. ''(See Channel Island milk)'' However there is no indigenous tradition of cheese making, contrary to the custom of mainland Normandy, but some cheese is produced commercially. Jersey fudge, mostly imported and made with milk from overseas Jersey cattle herds, is a popular food product with tourists.

Jersey Royal potatoes are the local variety of new potato, and the island is famous for its early crop of Chats (small potatoes) from the south-facing côtils (steeply sloping fields). Originally grown using vraic as a natural fertiliser giving them their own individual taste, only a small portion of those grown in the island still use this method. They are eaten in a variety of ways, often simply boiled and served with butter or when not as fresh fried in butter.

Apples historically were an important crop. ''Bourdélots'' are apple dumplings, but the most typical speciality is black butter (''lé nièr beurre''), a dark spicy spread prepared from apples, cider and spices. Cider used to be an important export. After decline and near-disappearance in the late 20th century, apple production is being increased and promoted. Apple brandy is also produced, as is some wine.

Among other traditional dishes are cabbage loaf, Jersey wonders (''les mèrvelles''), fliottes, bean crock (''les pais au fou''), nettle (''ortchie'') soup, vraic buns.

Sport

In its own right Jersey participates in the Commonwealth Games and in the biennial Island Games, which it last hosted in 1997.

In sporting events in which Jersey does not have international representation, when the British Home Nations are competing separately, islanders that do have high athletic skill may choose to compete for any of the Home Nations – there are, however, restrictions on subsequent transfers to represent another Home Nation.

Jersey is an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The Jersey cricket team plays in the Inter-insular match among others. The Jersey cricket team competed in the World Division 4, held in Tanzania in October 2008, after recently finishing as runners-up and therefore being promoted from the World Division 5 held in Jersey. They also competed in the European Division 2, held in Guernsey during August 2008. The youth cricket teams have been promoted to play in the European Division 1 alongside Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Guernsey. In two tournaments at this level Jersey have finished 6th.

For horseracing, Les Landes Racecourse can be found at Les Landes in St. Ouen next to the ruins of Grosnez Castle.

The Jersey Football Association supervises football in Jersey. The Jersey Football Combination has 9 teams in its top division. The 2006/07 champions were Jersey Scottish where Ross Crick is the top scorer. The Jersey national football team plays in the annual Muratti competition among others.

Jersey has two public indoor swimming pools. Swimming in the sea, surfing, windsurfing and other marine sports are practised. Jersey Swimming Club have organised an annual swim from Elizabeth Castle to Saint Helier Harbour for over 50 years. A round-island swim is a major challenge that a select number of swimmers have achieved. The Royal Channel Island Yacht Club is based in Jersey.

There is one facility for extreme sports and some facilities for youth sports. Coastal cliffs provide opportunities for rock climbing.

In golf, two golfers from Jersey have won The Open Championship 7 times between them, Harry Vardon winning 6 times and Ted Ray winning once. Harry and Ted have also won the US Open one time each and Harry's brother Tom Vardon has had some smaller wins on European Tours.

Jersey has one un-roofed skateboarding park

Books

There are a number of Jersey-based authors including Sinclair Forrest, author of the 2007 novel, The Dragon of Angur.

Education

Schools

The States of Jersey provides education through state schools (including a fee-paying option at secondary level) and also supports private schools. The Jersey curriculum generally follows that of England.

Further and higher education

Jersey has a college of further education and university centre, Highlands College. As well as offering part-time and evening courses Highlands is the largest sixth form provider in the Island, and works collaboratively with a range of organisations including the Open University, University of Plymouth and London South Bank University. In particular students can study at Highlands for the two year Foundation Degree in Financial Services and for BSc Social Sciences, both validated by the University of Plymouth.

The Institute of Law is Jersey's law school, providing a course for students seeking to qualify as Jersey advocates and solicitors. It also provides teaching for students enrolled on the University of London LLB degree programme, via the International Programmes. The Open University supports students in Jersey (but they pay higher fees than UK students). Private sector higher education providers include the Jersey International Business School.

Environment

Three areas of land are protected for their ecological or geological interest as Sites of Special Interest (SSI): Les Landes, Les Blanches Banques and La Lande du Ouest. A large area of intertidal zone is designated as a Ramsar site.

Jersey is the home of Durrell Wildlife (formerly known as the Jersey Zoological Park) founded by the naturalist, zookeeper, and author Gerald Durrell.

Biodiversity

Four species of small mammal are considered native: the wood mouse (''Apodemus sylvaticus''), the Jersey bank vole (''Myodes glareolus caesarius''), the Lesser white-toothed shrew (''Crocidura suaveolens'') and the French shrew (''Sorex coronatus''). Three wild mammals are well-established introductions: the rabbit (introduced in the mediaeval period), the red squirrel and the hedgehog (both introduced in the 19th century). The stoat (''Mustela erminea'') became extinct in Jersey between 1976 and 2000. The Green lizard (Lacerta bilineata) is a protected species of reptile; Jersey is its only habitat in the British Isles.

Trees generally considered native are the alder (''Alnus glutinosa''), silver birch (''Betula pendula''), sweet chestnut (''Castanea sativa''), hazel (''Corylus avellana''), hawthorn (''Crataegus monogyna''), beech (''Fagus sylvatica''), ash (''Fraxinus excelsior''), aspen (''Populus tremula''), wild cherry (''Prunus avium''), blackthorn (''Prunus spinosa''), holm oak (''Quercus ilex''), oak (''Quercus robur''), sallow (''Salix cinerea''), elder (''Sambucus nigra''), elm (''Ulmus'' spp.), and medlar (''Mespilus germanica''). Among notable introduced species, the cabbage palm (''Cordyline australis'') has been planted in coastal areas and may be seen in many gardens.

Notable marine species include the ormer, conger, bass, undulate ray, grey mullet, ballan wrasse and garfish. Marine mammals include the bottlenosed dolphin and grey seal.

Emergency services

Emergency services are provided by the States of Jersey Police with the support of the Honorary Police as necessary, States of Jersey Ambulance Service, Jersey Fire and Rescue Service and the Jersey Coastguard. The Jersey Fire and Rescue Service and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution operate an inshore rescue and lifeboat service; Channel Islands Air Search provides rapid response airborne search of the surrounding waters.

The States of Jersey Fire Service was formed in 1938 when the States took over the Saint Helier Fire Brigade, which had been formed in 1901.

The first lifeboat was equipped, funded by the States, in 1830. The RNLI established a lifeboat station in 1884.

Border security and Customs controls are undertaken by the States of Jersey Customs and Immigration Service.

People

Henry Cavill, actor

Graeme Le Saux, footballer

Ted Ray, golfer (1877-1943)

Harry Vardon, golfer (1870-1937)

See also

Footnotes and references

Print

''Jersey Through the Centuries'', Leslie Sinel, Jersey 1984, ISBN 0-86120-003-9

Further reading

Balleine's History of Jersey, Marguerite Syvret and Joan Stevens (1998) ISBN 1-86077-065-7

A Biographical Dictionary of Jersey, G.R. Balleine

;Archaeology

The Archaeology of the Channel Islands. Vol. 2: The Bailiwick of Jersey by Jacquetta Hawkes (1939)

The Prehistoric Foundations of Europe to the Mycenean Age, 1940, C. F. C. Hawkes

Jersey in Prehistory, Mark Patton, 1987

The Archaeology and Early History of the Channel Islands, Heather Sebire, 2005.

Dolmens of Jersey: A Guide, James Hibbs (1988).

A Guide to The Dolmens of Jersey, Peter Hunt, Société Jersiaise, 1998.

Statements in Stone: Monuments and Society in Neolithic Brittany, Mark Patton, 1993

Hougue Bie, Mark Patton, Warwick Rodwell, Olga Finch, 1999

The Channel Islands, An Archaeological Guide, David Johnston, 1981

The Archaeology of the Channel Islands, Peter Johnston, 1986

;Cattle One Hundred Years of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society 1833–1933. Compiled from the Society's Records, by H.G. Shepard, Secretary Eric J. Boston. Jersey Cattle, 1954 ;Religion

The Channel Islands under Tudor Government, A.J. Eagleston

Reformation and Society in Guernsey, D.M. Ogier

International Politics and the Establishment of Presbytarianism in the Channel Islands: The Coutances Connection, C.S.L. Davies

Religion, History and G.R. Balleine: The Reformation in Jersey, by J. St John Nicolle, The Pilot Magazine

The Reformation in Jersey: The Process of Change over Two centuries, J. St John Nicolle

The Chroniques de Jersey in the light of contemporary documents, BSJ, AJ Eagleston

The Portrait of Richard Mabon, BSJ, Joan Stevens

External links

States of Jersey site

Jersey Tourism

Jersey Elections site

BBC Jersey

Isle News Jersey

Jersey in ''The World Factbook''

Category:Island countries Category:Crown dependencies

ace:Jersey af:Jersey als:Jersey ar:جيرزي an:Jèrri frp:Jèrseyi ast:Xerséi az:Cersi zh-min-nan:Jersey be:Востраў Джэрсі be-x-old:Джэрсі bs:Jersey br:Jerzenez bg:Джърси ca:Jersey cs:Jersey cy:Jersey da:Jersey de:Jersey dv:ޖާސޭ et:Jersey el:Τζέρσεϊ es:Jersey eo:Ĵersejo eu:Jersey fa:جرزی fr:Jersey ga:Geirsí gv:Jersee gd:Jersey gl:Illa de Jersey xal:Җерсин Арл ko:저지 섬 hr:Jersey (otok) io:Jersey bpy:জার্সি id:Jersey os:Джерси is:Jersey it:Isola di Jersey he:ג'רזי jv:Jersey kn:ಜರ್ಸಿ ka:ჯერსი kk:Джерси kw:Jersi rw:Jersey sw:Jersey la:Caesarea insula lv:Džērsija lt:Džersis lij:Jersey li:Jersey hu:Jersey mi:Tōrehe mr:जर्सी ms:Jersey nl:Jersey (eiland) nds-nl:Jersey ja:ジャージー no:Jersey nn:Jersey nrm:Jèrri nov:Jersey oc:Jersey pl:Jersey pt:Jersey ro:Insula Jersey ru:Джерси sco:Jersey sq:Jersey simple:Jersey sk:Jersey sl:Jersey sr:Џерси sh:Jersey (otok) fi:Jersey sv:Jersey tl:Jersey ta:யேர்சி tt:Җерси te:జెర్సీ th:เจอร์ซีย์ tr:Jersey uk:Джерсі (острів) ur:جرزی vi:Jersey war:Jersey wuu:杰塞岛 yo:Jersey zh:澤西島

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Yellow jersey
current event	Tour de France
sport	Road Cycling
competition	Tour de France
givenfor	Winner overall classification
localnames	Maillot jaune
first	1903
number	96
firstwinner
mostwins	:''7 times''
mostrecent	}}

The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the ''yellow jersey'' ( ).

History

The winner of the first Tour de France wore not a yellow jersey but a green armband. After the second Tour de France, the rules were changed, and the general classification was no longer calculated by time, but by points. This points system was kept until 1912, after which it changed back into the time classification. At that time, the leader still did not wear a yellow jersey.

There is doubt over when the yellow jersey began. The Belgian rider Philippe Thys, who won the Tour in 1913, 1914 and 1920, recalled in the Belgian magazine ''Champions et Vedettes'' when he was 67 that he was awarded a yellow jersey in 1913 when the organiser, Henri Desgrange, asked him to wear a coloured jersey. Thys declined, saying making himself more visible in yellow would encourage other riders to ride against him.

He said:

:"He then made his argument from another direction. Several stages later, it was my team manager at Peugeot, (Alphonse) Baugé, who urged me to give in. The yellow jersey would be an advertisement for the company and, that being the argument, I was obliged to concede. So a yellow jersey was bought in the first shop we came to. It was just the right size, although we had to cut a slightly larger hole for my head to go through."

He spoke of the next year's race, when "I won the first stage and was beaten by a tyre by Bossus in the second. On the following stage, the maillot jaune passed to Georget after a crash."

The Tour historian Jacques Augendre called Thys "a valorous rider... well-known for his intelligence" and said his claim "seems free from all suspicion". But: "No newspaper mentions a yellow jersey before the war. Being at a loss for witnesses, we can't solve this enigma."

The formal history, therefore, is that the first yellow jersey was worn by the Frenchman Eugène Christophe in the stage from Grenoble to Geneva on July 18, 1919. The colour was chosen either to reflect the yellow newsprint of the organising newspaper, ''L'Auto'', or because yellow was an unpopular colour and therefore the only one available with which a manufacturer could create jerseys at late notice.

The two possibilities have been promoted equally but the idea of matching the colour of Desgrange's newspaper seems more probable because Desgrange wrote: "This morning I gave the valiant Christophe a superb yellow jersey. You already know that our director decided that the man leading the race [''de tête du classement général''] should wear a jersey in the colours of ''L'Auto''. The battle to wear this jersey is going to be passionate." It is possible, of course, that the availability of only yellow in sufficient quantities proved a happy chance for ''L'Auto'' and that Desgrange was justifying a choice that he had never had to make.

Christophe disliked wearing it, anyway, and complained that spectators imitated canaries whenever he passed. It was a habit encouraged by his nickname of Cri-Cri (from "Christophe") which is French babytalk for a bird. Christophe remembered riders and spectators teasing: "Ah, the yellow jersey! Isn't he beautiful, the canary? What are you doing, Madame Cri-Cri", adding, "And that lasted the whole course."

There was no formal presentation when Christophe wore his first yellow jersey in Grenoble, from where the race left at 2am for the 325 km to Geneva. He was given it the night before and tried it on later in his hotel.

In the next Tour de France in 1920, the yellow jersey was initially not awarded, but after the ninth stage, it was introduced again.

After Desgrange's death, his stylized initials were added to the yellow jersey, originally on the chest. They moved in 1969 to the sleeve to make way for a logo advertising Virlux. A further advertisement for the clothing company Le Coq Sportif appeared at the bottom of the zip fastener at the neck, the first supplementary advertisement on the ''maillot jaune''.

Desgrange's initials returned to the front of the jersey in 1972, some years on the left, others on the right. They were removed in 1984 to make way for a commercial logo but Nike added them again in 2003 as part of the Tour's centenary celebrations. One set of initials is now worn on the upper right chest of the jersey.

The original yellow jerseys were of conventional style. Riders had to pull them over their head on the rostrum. For many years the jersey was made in only limited sizes and many riders found it a struggle to pull one on, especially when tired or wet. The presentation jersey is now made with a full-length zip at the back and the rider pulls it on from the front, sliding his hands through the sleeves rather like a strait-jacket. He then receives three further jerseys each day, plus money (referred to as the "rent") for each day he leads the race.

There is no copyright on the yellow jersey and it has been imitated by many other races, although not always for the best rider overall: in the Tour of Benelux yellow is worn by the best young rider.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation donated the yellow jersey from Armstrong's fourth Tour de France win (2002) to the National Museum of American History, a branch of the Smithsonian.

In American English it is sometimes referred to as the ''mellow johnny'', a mispronunciation of its French name originally by Lance Armstrong, who wore it many times while winning the 1999-2005 races. Armstrong also uses the name "Mellow Johnny" for his Texas-based bike shop.

Rules

The Tour de France, and other bicycle stage races, are decided by totalling the time each rider takes on the daily stages. Time can be added or subtracted from this total time as bonuses or penalties for winning individual stages or being first to the top of a climb or for infractions of the rules. The rider with the lowest overall time at the end of each stage receives a ceremonial yellow bicycling jersey and the right to start the next stage, usually the next day, of the Tour in the yellow jersey.

The rider to receive the yellow jersey after the last stage in Paris, is the overall (or ultimate) winner of the Tour.

Similar leader's jerseys exist in other cycling races, but are not always yellow (the color being chosen by the individual race organizers). The Tour of California uses gold, the Giro d'Italia uses pink and the Tour Down Under uses an ochre-coloured jersey, as ochre is a colour strongly associated with Australia, particularly its desert regions. Until 2009 the Vuelta a España used gold; since 2010 the leader's jersey is red.

More than one rider leading the general classification

In the early years of the Tour de France, the time was measured in minutes. Although usually cyclists were seconds apart, sometimes several cyclists shared the same time. In 1913, before the introduction of the yellow jersey, this had happened with the two leaders, Philippe Thys and Jean Rossius.

After the introduction of the yellow jersey in 1919, the situation occurred twice more. The first time was in 1929, when even three riders had the same time when the race reached Bordeaux. Nicolas Frantz of Luxembourg and the Frenchmen Victor Fontan and André Leducq all rode in yellow, although none held it to the finish in Paris. In 1931, the situation occurred for the second time, when Charles Pélissier and Rafaele di Paco were both leading with the same time.

The problem of joint leaders was resolved by giving the jersey to whichever rider had the best daily finishing places earlier in the race. The introduction of a short time trial at the start of the race in 1967 - the prologue time trial - meant riders have since been divided by fractions of seconds recorded in that race, excepting the 2008 and 2011 editions. According to the ASO rules :"In the event of a tie in the general ranking, the hundredth of a second recorded by the timekeepers during the individual time trial stages will be included in the total times in order to decide the overall winner and who takes the yellow jersey. If a tie should still result from this, then the places achieved for each stage are added up and, as a last resort, the place obtained in the final stage is counted."

No riders in yellow

Riders who became race leader through the misfortune of others have ridden next day without the yellow jersey.

The yellow jersey on the first day of the Tour is traditionally permitted to be worn by the winner of the previous year's race; however, wearing it is a choice left to the rider, and in recent years has gone out of fashion. If the winner does not ride, the jersey is not worn. The previous year's winner traditionally has race number "1" (with his teammates given the other single-digit racing numbers), with subsequent sets of numbers determined by the highest classified riders for that team in the previous Tour. The lead riders for a particular team will often wear the first number in the series (11, 21, 31 and so forth), but these riders are not necessarily contenders for the general classification - teams led by sprinters will often designate the maillot vert contender as their lead rider.

In 2007 there was neither a yellow jersey at the start of the race nor a number 1; the previous winner, Floyd Landis of the United States failed a doping control after the race and organisers declined to declare an official winner pending arbitration of the Landis case. On September 20, 2007, Landis was officially stripped of his title following the arbitration court's guilty verdict, and the 2006 title passed to Óscar Pereiro; in 2008, the runner-up in 2007, Cadel Evans was given the race number "1" when the 2007 winner, Alberto Contador was unable to defend his title due to a dispute between the organisers ASO and his new team Astana barring that team from riding the Tour.

Scandal in yellow

In 1978 the Belgian rider Michel Pollentier became race leader after attacking on the Alpe d'Huez. He was disqualified the same day after trying to cheat a drugs test.

In 1988, Pedro Delgado of Spain won the Tour despite a drugs test which showed he had taken a drug which could be used to hide the use of steroids. News of the test was leaked to the press by the former organiser of the Tour, Jacques Goddet. Delgado was allowed to continue because the drug, probenecid, was not banned by the Union Cycliste Internationale.

The 1996 winner, Bjarne Riis of Denmark said in 2007 that he had used drugs during the race. He was asked to stay away from that year's Tour. Riis, as directeur sportif of the Danish Team CSC (now called Team Saxo Bank), has implemented a stringent drug-testing regime for the team's riders, and has become an important voice against doping in the sport.

The 2006 winner, Floyd Landis was disqualified more than a year after the race. After he failed a doping control after his stunning Stage 17 victory, an arbitration panel declared him guilty of doping in September 2007, after which the official title for the 2006 Tour passed to Óscar Pereiro. Landis appealed his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but lost this appeal at the end of June 2008 allowing Oscar Pereiro to start the 2008 edition of Le Tour de France as the unqualified 2006 Tour champion.

In 2007, the Danish rider Michael Rasmussen was withdrawn from the race by his team after complaints that he had not made himself available for drugs tests earlier in the year. Rasmussen said he had been in Mexico but there were reports that he had been seen training in Italy.

Maurice Garin won the Tour de France before yellow jerseys were awarded but in 1904 he was disqualified as winner after complaints that he and other riders had cheated. The allegations disappeared along with the Tour de France's other archives when they were taken south in 1940 to avoid the German invasion. But a man who as a small boy knew Garin recalled that the old man had admitted catching a train part of the way.

Record days in yellow

The rider who has most worn the yellow jersey is the Belgian Eddy Merckx, who wore it 96 days. The greatest number of riders to wear the jersey in a single edition of Le Tour de France is eight, which happened in 1958 and 1987. The 2008 edition of Le Tour witnessed seven wearers (Alejandro Valverde, Roman Feillu, Stefan Schumacher, Kim Kirchen, Cadel Evans, Frank Schleck, Carlos Sastre), leaving the record unbroken.

The man who refused the yellow jersey

The yellow jersey was made for decades, like all other cycling jerseys, from wool. No synthetic fibres existed which had both the warmth and the absorption of wool. Embroidery was expensive and so the only lettering to appear on the jersey was the H.D. of Desgrange's initials. Riders added the name of the team for which they were riding or the professional team for which they normally rode (in the years when the Tour was for national rather than sponsored teams) by attaching a panel of printed cloth to the front of the jersey by pins.

While synthetic material didn't exist in a way to create whole jerseys, synthetic thread or blends were added in 1947, following the arrival of Sofil as a sponsor. Sofil made artificial yarn. Riders believed in the pureness of wool, and especially the Frenchman Louison Bobet, or Louis Bobet as he was still known.

Bobet insisted that cyclists needed wool for their long days of sweating in the heat and dust. It was a matter of hygiene. Artificial fabrics made riders sweat too much. And, in his first Tour de France, he refused to wear the jersey with which he had been presented.

Goddet recalled:

:"It produced a real drama. Our contract with Sofil was crumbling away. If the news had got out, the commercial effect would have been disastrous for the manufacturer. I remember debating it with him a good part of the night. Louison was always exquisitely courteous but his principles were as hard as the granite blocks of his native Brittany coast."

No compromise was possible. Goddet had to get Sofil to produce another jersey overnight, its logo still visible but artificial fabric absent.

"Elegance in yellow"

For the veteran writer and television broadcaster Jean-Paul Ollivier, the woollen yellow jersey...

:"...gave the riders a rare elegance, even if the way it caught the air left something to be desired. In wool, then in Rovyl - a material used for making underwear - it entered into legend for the quality of those who wore it. Those were the years of national teams. In 1930 Henri Desgrange, the organiser, decided that commercially-sponsored teams were contriving to spoil his race and opted instead for teams representing countries. The Tour de France stayed that way until 1962, when it reverted to commercial teams with the exception of 1967 and 1968 and the riders knotted on their jerseys a spare tyre [across the shoulders] A narrow slip of white cotton placed on the chest showed discreetly the name of the sponsor outside the Tour: La Perle, Mercier, Helyett..."

The advent of printing by flocking, a process in which cotton fluff is sprayed on to stencilled glue, and then of screen printing, combined with the domination of synthetic materials to increase the advertising on jerseys: the domination which Ollivier regrets. "All sorts of fantasies such as fluorescent jerseys or shorts," he said. Such was the quantity of advertising when Bernard Thévenet accepted the yellow jersey when the Tour finished for the first time on the Champs Elysées in 1975 that the French sports minister counted all the logos and protested to broadcasters. Since then the number of people with access to the podium has been restricted.

Sponsorship

The French bank, Crédit Lyonnais, has sponsored the ''maillot jaune'' since 1987. The company has been a commercial partner of the Tour since 1981. It awards a toy lion - ''le lion en peluche'' - to each day's winner as a play on its name. In 2007, sponsorship of the jersey was credited to LCL, the new name for Crédit Lyonnais following its takeover by another bank, Crédit Agricole.

See also

Detailed list of Tour de France winners

Yellow jersey statistics

References

External links

Velo News: "The legend of the maillot jaune"

Category:Tour de France Category:Tops (clothing) Category:Sports clothing Category:Sports trophies and awards Category:French awards

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Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Sean Yates
fullname	Sean Yates
birth date	May 18, 1960
birth place
discipline	Road
role	Rider
amateurteams	East Grinstead CC Archer RC '34 Nomads ACBB
proyears	1982–19861987–19881989–19901991–1996
proteams	PeugeotFagor7-ElevenMotorola
majorwins	25px National Champion (1992)
teammanagement	LindaMcCartneyiTeamNovaCSCDiscovery
manageyears	2005-20092010–
manageteams
updated	27 May 2008 }}

Sean Yates (born 18 May 1960 at Ewell in Surrey) is an English former professional cyclist and head Directeur Sportif at Team Sky.

Career

Yates competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics, finishing sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit. He also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics. As an amateur in 1980, he won the British 25-mile individual time trial championship, and took the national record for 10-mile time trials with 19m 44s.

As an amateur Yates rode for ACBB in Paris with fellow British riders John Herety and Jeff Williams. Yates quickly became known for his incredible turn of speed and power. He turned professional in 1982 for Peugeot cycling team riding alongside Graham Jones, Robert Millar and Stephen Roche. He then moved to Fagor in 1988. In 1989 he then joined the American team, 7-Eleven and then in 1991 Motorola, where he rode with Lance Armstrong.

He was British professional individual pursuit champion in 1982 and 1983.

Yates spent much of his 15-year career as a domestique, but he won stages in the Tour de France (a time trial stage at Wasquehal, at Tour record speed) and the Vuelta a España in 1988. That year he also won a stage in Paris–Nice and Midi-Libre and finished fourth in the Tour of Britain. The following year (1989), he took two stages and overall victory in the Tour of Belgium, won the GP Eddy Merckx and finished second in Gent–Wevelgem.

Yates wore the maillot jaune in the 1994 Tour de France, the third Briton to do so. Yates rode 12 Tours, completing nine; 45th was his best placing. He was powerful on flat stages and noted as a descender of mountains. For a rouleur Yates climbed very well for his weight.

In 1989 Yates tested positive in a doping test in the first stage of Torhout-Werchter.

Management career

After retiring in 1996, Yates became manager of the Linda McCartney Racing Team, which competed at the Giro d'Italia. After the team's collapse in 2001, Yates helped set up the Australian iteamNova, but left after funds ran out. After six months out of cycling, he joined Team CSC-Tiscali before moving to Discovery in 2005 at the invitation of Lance Armstrong. In June 2007, Yates was manager of Team Discovery a USA team, and in 2008 went on to manage riders on the Astana cycling team. In 2009 he was signed up as director of the newly formed Team Sky, a British based team intent on providing Britain's first Tour De France winner.

Post-professional racing

In 1997, he won the British 50-mile time-trial championship, and he finished third in the same event in 2005. In May 2007, he said he would not compete as a veteran because of heart irregularities, but he still competes at regional events, primarily in the Southeast. Yates currently plays football for Old St Marys Football Club as a goalkeeper in Amateur Football Combination.

In 2009, he was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame.

Palmarès

;1980 : 1st Prologue, Sealink International ;1982 : 1st Airedale : 1st Stage 4 Circuit Cycliste de la Sarthe : 1st Classic New Southsea : 1st Great Yorkshire : 1st Southsea : 1st Stage 3 Tour d'Indre-et-Loire ;1983 : 1st London : 5th Overall, Milk Race ;1984 : 1st Bristol : 1st Prologue Four days of Dunkerque ;1986 : 1st Stage 2 Milk Race : 12th Overall Tour of Ireland ;1987 : 1st GP de Cannes : 1st Stage 3 Tour of Ireland ;1988 : 1st Stage 5 GP du Midi-Libre : 1st Stage Paris - Nice : 1st Stage 6 Tour de France : 1st Stage 12 Vuelta a España ;1989 : 1st GP Eddy Merckx : 1st Stage 1A Tour of Belgium : 1st Stage 1B Tour of Belgium : 1st Prologue Ronde van Nederland ;1991 : 1st Stage 5 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 1st Stage 4 Tour of Ireland ;1992 : 1st ;1994 : 1st USPRO Road Race :Tour de France ::Wore yellow jersey for one day after stage 6

References

External links

''Q&A;: Sean Yates'', Ben Moore, BBC, 2007.

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:English cycling coaches Category:English cyclists Category:Olympic cyclists of Great Britain Category:Cyclists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Category:Cyclists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:English Tour de France stage winners Category:British cycling road race champions Category:Directeur sportifs Category:Waldorf school alumni Category:People from Ewell

ca:Sean Yates cy:Sean Yates da:Sean Yates de:Sean Yates es:Sean Yates fr:Sean Yates nl:Sean Yates no:Sean Yates

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Alex Stieda
fullname	Alexander Nicholas Ernst Stieda
birth date	April 13, 1961
birth place	Belleville, Ontario, Canada
currentteam	Retired
discipline	Road
role	Rider
updated	July 18, 2008 }}

Alexander Nicholas Ernst "Alex" Stieda (born April 13, 1961 in Belleville, Ontario) is a former professional road bicycle racer from Canada. Stieda captured all five jerseys of the Tour de France, the yellow jersey, the polka dot, the green, and the white, on the second day of the 1986 Tour de France, becoming the first North American to lead the Tour de France. He finished in 120th place, in his only Tour de France, riding on the 7-Eleven Cycling Team. He also placed bronze in the 1982 Australian Commonwealth Games, and competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics for his native country.

}}

Palmarès

;1986 :Tour de France: ::Wearing yellow jersey for one day ;1989 :Canadian Tire-Shin

External links

http://www.stiedacycling.com/

Official Tour de France results for Alex Stieda

Category:Canadian cyclists Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Ontario Category:Olympic cyclists of Canada Category:Cyclists at the 1984 Summer Olympics

ca:Alex Stieda fr:Alex Stieda nl:Alex Stieda

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Andy Schleck
fullname	Andy Raymond Schleck
birth date	June 10, 1985
birth place	Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
height
weight
currentteam
discipline	Road
role	Rider
ridertype	General classification rider
amateuryears	20042004
amateurteams	VC Roubaix ''(stagiaire)''
proyears	2005–20102011–
proteams
majorwins	Grand Tours :Tour de France ::20px Young rider classification (2008, 2009, 2010) ::3 stages :Giro d'Italia ::20px Young rider classification (2007) Stage Races : 20px Flèche du Sud (2004) : 20px Tour of Britain (2006) : 20px Tour de Suisse (2011) Single-Day Races and Classics : 20px U-23 National Road Race Champion (2004) : 20px U-23 National Time Trial Champion (2004) : 20px National Time Trial Champion (2005, 2010) : 20px National Road Race Champion (2009) : 20px Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2009)
updated	July 14, 2010 }}

Andy Raymond Schleck (born June 10, 1985) is a Luxembourgish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, who also rides for . Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974. Andy Schleck won stage 8 of the 2010 Tour de France, in which he narrowly finished second in the general classification and finished with the white jersey for the third consecutive year.

Early years and family

Andy Schleck was born in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, and is the youngest of Gaby and Johny Schleck's three sons. His older brother Fränk Schleck is also a cyclist on Team Leopard-Trek, and his oldest brother Steve Schleck is a politician in Luxembourg. Andy's father, Johny Schleck, is a former professional cyclist and rode the Tour de France at the service of 1968 winner Jan Janssen and 1973 winner Luis Ocaña, and also managed to finish in the top 20 twice: 19th in 1970 and 20th in 1967. He won a stage in the 1970 Vuelta a España and the Luxembourg National Championships. Johny's father, Gustav Schleck, also contested events in the 1930s.

Career

Amateur

Andy Schleck joined VC Roubaix cycling club in 2004, and caught the attention of Cyrille Guimard, a sports director who became famous as the directeur sportif for several Tour de France winners, including Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, Lucien Van Impe and American Greg LeMond. Guimard described Schleck as one of the biggest talents he had seen and compared him to Laurent Fignon.

Still an amateur, Schleck won the 2004 Flèche du Sud stage race at 18. As the Danish national team were in the race, word spread to the Danish Team CSC manager Bjarne Riis. Riis asked Fränk, already on Team CSC, about his brother, and Andy started as a stagiaire for Team CSC on September 1, 2004. He secured a professional contract with CSC, and made his debut in a ProTour race at age 19 (the 2005 Volta a Catalunya).

Team CSC/Saxo Bank

He and Fränk shared the 2005 National Championships, Fränk taking the road race and Andy the individual time trial. In 2006, Schleck crashed in the GP Cholet and took an eight-week break before returning for the Volta a Catalunya in May. In July, a few days after his brother won the Alpe d'Huez stage of the Tour de France, Andy won the major mountain stage in the Sachsen Tour, followed by the final stage, finishing 23rd overall.

In the 2007 Giro d'Italia, he won the young rider classification and was second in the general classification after Danilo Di Luca. He finished fourth at the Giro di Lombardia after helping his brother Fränk, who crashed with six kilometres to go.

Schleck's success continued in 2008 when he won the young rider classification in the Tour De France, holding off Roman Kreuziger, and helping CSC win the team classification and Carlos Sastre the maillot jaune.

In 2009 he won the biggest victory of his career so far, when a strong April culminated with an impressive victory in Liège–Bastogne–Liège, as he became the first winner of the race from Luxembourg since Marcel Ernzer in 1954. A few days before he had finished runner-up in La Flèche Wallonne.

In the 2009 Tour de France overall classification, he finished the Tour in second place, behind Alberto Contador and ahead of Lance Armstrong, along with finishing Stage 17 in 3rd place behind his brother Fränk Schleck (1) and Alberto Contador (2). He again won the Young Rider Classification in the 2009 Tour de France.

In the 2010 Tour de France, he was much closer to the victory – against Alberto Contador again – but took the second place (by 39 seconds) and won Young Rider Classification for the third time in a row. Schleck was involved in a controversial incident on the Tour de France: When his chain fell off on a mountain stage, his main rival for the Tour, Alberto Contador, did not stop and thereby took the lead from Schleck. Some sections of the media saw Contador's behaviour as unsporting, and felt he should have allowed Schleck to regain the lost time. Schleck lost 39 seconds on that stage in the mountains, the same number of seconds by which he eventually lost the Tour de France. Schleck was only the second man to ever win the white jersey for best young rider 3 times; the first was Jan Ullrich who won in 1996–98. He also won two mountain stages, and rode in the yellow jersey for six days.

Leopard Trek

On July 29, 2010, Schleck and his brother Fränk announced their departure from Team Saxo Bank at the end of 2010. They formed a brand-new Luxembourg-based team with former Saxo Bank director Kim Andersen. Alberto Contador was hired to replace Andy Schleck as part of a two year contract signed with Team Saxo Bank.

In October 2010, the management of the new Luxembourg team revealed the team's website, labeled Leopard True Racing, leading to speculation that the team will race under that name. The site is located at leopard.lu. The team's name, as per Jakob Fuglsang, is simply .

In July 2011, Andy won the mountainous 18th stage of the Tour de France with a long solo breakaway ride. When interviewed after the stage for Channel 4 television he answered the first question by saying, "No guts, no glory". The day after he finished 9th overall in the 19th stage to take the yellow jersey. However the day after he was overtaken in the time trial penultimate stage 20 of the tour by Cadel Evans placing Schleck in second place going into the final stage in Paris once again.

Equipment

Andy Schleck uses 172.5mm crank arms on his bike, which are considered small for a man of his height.

Notable results

;2004 : 1st 20px U-23 National Road Race Champion : 1st 20px U-23 National Time Trial Champion : 1st ;2005 : 1st 20px National Time Trial Champion ;2006 : 1st : 1st Stage 3 Sachsen Tour : 1st Stage 5 Sachsen Tour ;2007 : 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st : 4th Giro di Lombardia : 8th Overall Tour de Romandie ;2008 : 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège : 5th Olympics Men's Road Race : 6th Overall, Tour de Suisse : 12th Overall, Tour de France ::1st : 1st Stage 1 TTT Tour de Pologne ;2009 : 1st 20px National Road Race Champion : 1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège : 1st Stage 2 Tour de Luxembourg : 2nd Overall Tour de France ::1st : 2nd La Flèche Wallonne : 8th Monte Paschi Eroica : 10th Amstel Gold Race ;2010 : 1st 20px National Time Trial Champion : 2nd Overall Tour de France ::1st :: 1st Stage 8 Tour de France :: 1st Stage 17 Tour de France ::Maillot Jaune 20px Stage 10 – 15 : 6th Liège–Bastogne–Liège : 9th La Flèche Wallonne : 2nd Criterium Chihuahua ;2011 :1st :3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège :8th 2011 Tour of California : 2nd Overall Tour de France ::1st Stage 18 Tour de France ::20px Combativity Award Stage 18 ::Maillot Jaune 20px Stage 19

Grand Tour General Classification results timeline

{| cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="font-size: 95%; border: #aaa solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" |- style="background:#eee;" !Grand Tour !2007 !2008 !2009 !2010 !2011 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#efefef;"|20px|link=General classification in the Giro d'Italia|alt=Pink jersey Giro | style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|2 | style="text-align:center;"|- | style="text-align:center;"|- | style="text-align:center;"|- | style="text-align:center;"|- |- | style="text-align:left; background:#efefef;"|20px|link=General classification in the Tour de France|alt=Yellow jersey Tour | style="text-align:center;"|- | style="text-align:center;"|12 | style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|2 | style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|2 | style="text-align:center; background:#ddf;"|2 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#efefef;"|20px|link=General classification in the Vuelta a España|alt=golden jersey Vuelta | style="text-align:center;"|- | style="text-align:center;"|- | style="text-align:center;"|WD | style="text-align:center;"|WD | style="text-align:center;"| |}

WD = withdrew NC = not classified

References

External links

Andy Schleck Official Site

Fanclub Fränk & Andy Schleck a.s.b.l.

The official site of Leopard Trek

Andy Schleck on Twitter

{{s-ttl|title=Luxembourgian Sportsman of the Year |years=2009,2010}}

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:People from Luxembourg City Category:Luxembourgian cyclists Category:Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic cyclists of Luxembourg Category:Luxembourgian Tour de France stage winners

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