Jacques Marinelli, Oldest Living Yellow Jersey Wearer, Signed Photo

Jacques Marinelli, the oldest living yellow jersey wearer, wore the yellow jersey for six days at the 1949 Tour de France before finishing third behind Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.

Marinelli rode the Tour six times between 1948 and 1954 but finished only in 1949 and 1952 when he came 31st. He became the first rider in the Tour to write a column for L’Équipe, in 1949.

Marinelli became known as “la perruche” during the 1949 Tour. Riding for the regional Ile-de-France team rather than the national team, Marinelli rose above his humble status by attacking repeatedly during the first four days. On the fourth he came second and became race leader, leading a field that included Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. He exchanged the green jersey of the Ile-de-France for the yellow jersey of the leader. The next morning the organizer, Jacques Goddet, wrote in L’Équipe: “Our budgerigar has been transformed into a canary”, a reference to Marinelli’s small stature in yellow. The nickname stuck – but “budgerigar” rather than “canary”.

Marinelli rode above himself and exploited the rivalry between Coppi and Bartali to keep the lead for another five days, as far as the Pyrenees. Marinelli still has the yellow jersey, although it has been eaten by moths. He said: “For a great champion to wear the yellow jersey, that’s normal. But when it’s an amateur  that’s different, and then again my height, I think that’s what contributed to my popularity.”

Please Note: This item is a modern photographic reproduction of an old postal card with an original Jacques Marinelli Signature.

As many of the cards are quite old and one of a kind, please look a the photos carefully to determine the condition.

Size: 9.5 x 15 cm

Biography Excerpt from Wikipedia