Why is a lion given to the winners in the Tour de France?

The Tour de France is loaded with details and, although it may seem so, there is not one that does not have its reason for being. When the winners and leaders of the different classifications take the podium, the ritual has some interesting and historical details, such as the presentation of a toy lion to the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. Why?

The story of the Tour de France Toy Lion

These are the kind of things that, because we see them so much, because we get used to them, we don't question where they come from. A stuffed animal of a lion is given to the yellow jersey of the Tour de France and nobody wonders why a lion in a country like France, without rainforest, without lions.

And the story has an absolutely commercial and curious facet. The point is that the lion symbol is not the symbol of the Tour de France nor of the country, but it is the symbol of the Crédit Lyonnais bank (now LCL), which has been the sponsor of the yellow jersey since 1981. The lion is the image of this bank and was introduced a few years later, so the rest you can imagine.

In 1987, this sponsor decided to include its logo on the French round, and thought that a good way to do so was to give the yellow jersey a small stuffed animal of its own mascot, a lion.

This is how this cute cuddly toy was created. And the first to receive it that year was Stephen Roche. The Irish rider himself would end up taking that Tour ahead of Perico Delgado.

A bank and a city behind the Tour de France lion

Obviously, the Crédit Lyonnais bank also has its raison d'être, because it has its origins in the French city of Lyon. So the cuddly toy also has its geographical origin, which is this. Now, it is given to the winners on the Champs Elysées and seems to have only that commercial halo of the sponsor, but the fact that it has become a symbol of victory is a marketing success.

The lion of the Tour, made of cotton, poses in the showcases of the best cyclists in history and the most successful clubs on the circuit. It is true that many other collectors have obtained a lion, but these are replicas since neither the Tour de France organization nor the bank itself commercialize the cuddly toy beyond this unit for the winner. These replicas have an approximate price of 15€.

Although it has become a very recognizable symbol, it is also true that it is not the only place where a victorious cyclist can get a lion. Paris-Nice also follows the tradition.