Visma-Lease a Bike riders will wear a dark version of the special 'The Architect' jersey at this year's Tour de France, as determined by 52% of the votes from fans this week. The lighter version of the design will have its own life, becoming the first-ever Rest Day jersey.
Both jerseys include the team's honeycomb theme blended with a tribute to Barcelona as the Grand Depart by blending architectural drawings created by Catalan designer Antoni Gaudí. His building designs are revered as works of art throughout Barcelona, with seven properties listed as World Heritage by UNESCO.
The team conducted a poll from their fan database and received more than 100,000 votes from April 21-23, with the 'dark' jersey edging the 'light' jersey as the favourite. The 'dark' race jersey uses black as the predominant colour with yellow to accentuate the team's honeycomb theme and Gaudí technical plans.
Due to the close margin among fan votes, Visma-Lease a Bike decided to produce the 'light' version of the jersey, featuring the same design on a light yellow background. This will become a Rest Day jersey which riders will wear on non-race days of the Tour - July 13 in Cantal and July 20 in Haute-Savoie.
Both limited-edition jerseys will be available for pre-order on the team's web site through May 3. A name customisation can be made on the left rear pocket for "an artistic touch" at no additional charge during this same pre-order window. The Architect design is also available with a wind vest, gloves and hydration bottle.
"Our fans are becoming an increasingly important part of the team. The yellow-black swarm keeps growing, also along the roads," said Jasper Saejis, CMO of Visma-Lease a Bike, when the design and fan vote were revealed just days ago. "It is great to involve them directly in the design of our Tour jersey once again."
The jerseys are the latest in a long line of special-edition designs to distinguish Visma-Lease a Bike's traditional yellow kits from the Tour's maillot jaune. Previous jerseys have included designs inspired by Dutch Master artists, a theme park, and the bee-related jerseys of 2025.
While the Tour first visited Barcelona for a stage in 1957 and has not been back since 1965. Following Grand Départ ceremonies, stage 1 takes place on July 4 with a team time trial. Two road stages follow in northern Spain before entering France via the Pyrenees.
