Ad
Tour of the Gila jersey designs commemorate Mimbres culture
Lauren Stephens of Aegis Cycling Mixed Team wins the second stage of the Tour of Gila on Thursday in southwestern New Mexico.
Published
Modified
Road bike racer Ellexi Snover of Fount Cycling Guild raised her arms, jacketed in kelly green, while she stood atop the podium following Wednesday’s Mogollon Road Race presented by Grant County at Tour of the Gila.
She didn’t win the stage — the second of five — and she wasn’t leading the overall time classification. So why was she on the podium and wearing a special jersey?
At bicycling stage races such as Tour of the Gila in Silver City, podium presentations highlight not only the top three stage finishers in each UCI men’s and women’s race but also the leaders of points classifications and also the leaders of standings based on cumulative time.
Thursday, two bonus sprints and a mountain top finish gave pro athletes at Tour of the Gila chances to earn these special jerseys that designate them as the top contenders. When the next stage gets underway, the riders to beat are easily spotted in the peloton.
The Mogollon Road Race presented by Grant County recap shows just how deep riders dug over their 71- and 92-mile races on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
It was a tough stage!
We condensed the action down to a minute and a half, but you can catch more of the drama by checking out Tour of the Gila on social media. Better yet, experience this iconic American bicycle stage race in person--whether as a competitor or a spectator.
In 2025, the four Tour of the Gila race jerseys feature patterns and textures inspired by pots in the NAN Ranch collection of the Western New Mexico University Museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of Mimbres pottery in Silver City — central to where these prehistoric people crafted their distinctive black-on-white pottery. In consultation with the WNMU Museum director, Tour of the Gila identified ollas and bowls that form the basis of the designs. Graphic artist and bicyclist Mitch Ikemoto pulled these concepts together in the four designs on JAKROO Alpha jerseys.
The red New Mexico True leader jersey is awarded to the cyclist in each category who is leading the overall time standings.
The polka-dotted Freeport McMoRan climber jersey is awarded to the racer winning the mountains points classification.
The green Gila Regional Medical Center sprinter jersey goes to the cyclist leading the points classification determined by intermediate sprints and finishing place in certain stages.
The white Southwest Bone and Joint/Brian and Lynn Robinson Best Young Rider jersey signifies the leading rider under age 23 in the general classification.
