The Solidarity Jersey returns to La Vuelta in its 2024 edition, driven by AS Deporte en Positivo in collaboration with Santini, to reward sportsmanship among the peloton riders and simultaneously support the work of the Spanish NGO Bicicletas Sin Fronteras (BSF), which provides bicycles as school transportation for vulnerable children and young people in Senegal.
The Solidarity Jersey debuted at La Vuelta 23 and was well-received by journalists and fans, but also by cyclists and sports teams who received it: Robbe Ghys, Andreas Kron, Egan Bernal, Matevz Govekar, Geraint Thomas, Sepp Kuss, David González, Thomas de Gendt, Michael Storer, Imanol Erviti, Filippo Ganna, Andrey Zeits, Mattia Cattaneo, Romain Bardet, Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard, Mikel Landa, Pelayo Sánchez, Primoz Roglic, and Luis León Sánchez.
Among the winners of this jersey were very different profiles: from team workers to team leaders, from young promises to experienced cyclists. But all of them were chosen for gestures and attitudes deserving of recognition that goes beyond sports and helps to highlight the human values of cycling and sport.
"At La Vuelta, we firmly believe in the transformative power of the bicycle, not only as a sport but as a means of social and economic development. We are immensely proud that our race is a platform to support initiatives like Bicicletas Sin Fronteras and to contribute to generating a positive impact on so many young people in Senegal" explains Javier Guillén, General Director of La Vuelta.
"The Solidarity Jersey in the Vuelta is another chapter in our work called AS Deporte en Positivo, a campaign that basically consists of developing all kinds of activities, projects, events, and meetings that allow us to exploit the values that sport has beyond what is merely sport. This initiative allows us to help young students in Africa to obtain a better education thanks to a quality leap as simple as having a bicycle. In this way, sport, in this case cycling, becomes a vehicle that allows us to achieve human accomplishments that are very important to us" points out Vicente Jiménez, Director of AS.
As in the previous edition, the selection of the solidarity jersey falls to a group of sports journalists, correspondents at La Vuelta, who communicate at the end of each stage who has been and why the most supportive cyclist of the day. The winner receives this symbolic jersey at the signature control before the start of the next stage. The jury of the Solidarity Jersey includes Juan Gutiérrez (AS), Dani Miranda (AS), Borja Cuadrado (Ser), Iñigo Markinez (Ser), Santi Blanco (La Vuelta), Jordi Quixano (El País), and Carlos de Andrés (TVE).
Known as the "hug jersey," it is produced by the legendary jersey brand Santini Cycling, which has been collaborating in this initiative since its first edition and now offers this solidarity garment for sale on its website and at Solidarity Jersey’s website for all cycling enthusiasts and fans who want to wear it and support the work of Bicicletas Sin Fronteras.
"We are delighted to support the NGO Bicicletas Sin Fronteras through the Solidarity Jersey and to contribute to this project that provides bicycles to Senegalese children and young people, improving their access to education and transforming their lives" declares Monica Santini, General Director of Santini Cycling. "Furthermore, we are proud to create a jersey that rewards the most supportive and kind cyclists participating in La Vuelta, recognizing and valuing the gestures of sportsmanship and humanity that enrich the world of cycling."
The Solidarity Jersey is an idea by Jorge Martínez, the ideologue and creative director of this initiative, for whom "having managed to turn solidarity into a jersey worn, desired, and celebrated by the great names of the peloton is not only a success and a pride but also the opportunity to claim what constitutes the essence of any sport, but above all, the essence of life."
"This year we aspire for the Solidarity Jersey, besides being consolidated as the deserved recognition for the supportive gestures of the runners, to reach the general public and give visibility to the message behind all this: that bicycles have a great transformative power in rural areas of African countries like Senegal. So, our goal is for many people to buy and wear the jersey that embraces a better world so that we can continue delivering bicycles and transforming futures," says Romà Boule, founder and project director of BSF.
Currently, more than 9,000 students in Senegal benefit from the program supported by the sale of the Solidarity Jersey, which turns the bicycle into a powerful tool for social transformation and a 100% sustainable school transportation system. It also involves the local community through the establishment of repair workshops and mechanic training. The results of years of collaboration with educational centers confirm that BSF bicycles improve the school performance of beneficiaries, increasing the percentage of students accessing university from 31% to 57%.