Tour Down Under -- color it ocher?

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HAHNDORF, Australia -- When the Tour Down Under cyclists take off in a few minutes, Team Columbia’s Andre Greipel will be wearing a rust-colored leader’s jersey. It’s called the ocher jersey here, rather than the maillot jaune or yellow jersey the leader wears at the Tour de France and the Tour of California.

According to tournament directors, the ocher represents the colors associated with the state of South Australia’s dusty interior, and also is a traditional color used by the native aboriginal people. This is the 11th Tour Down Under, and, at first, the race stuck with the traditional yellow color for its leaders. But race officials soon opted for a different color to differentiate their race.

So should Lance Armstrong choose to make a statement and attack during today’s rolling hills and claim a Stage 2 victory, he would be awarded the ocher jersey at the podium ceremony.

-- Diane Pucin