Cycling
Why Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe's Tour de France kit embraced number 13
Why is there an upside-down number 13 on Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe's Tour de France jersey? Discover the cycling superstition, the team's history and the story behind the striking new design.
The countdown to the Tour de France has officially begun for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. Ahead of cycling's biggest race, Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel unveiled the team's fresh new Tour de France kit from the top of Munich's Olympic Tower, with one hidden detail set to spark plenty of conversation – the upside-down number 13 on the jersey. Take a look at the big reveal below:
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Why Tour de France riders wear number 13 upside down
The jersey in all its glory
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
Over the decades, a myth has taken hold around the Tour de France that the rider wearing number 13 is somehow destined for bad luck. Whether anyone truly believes it is another matter, but the superstition has become one of the sport's most enduring traditions. Riders given the number often pin it upside down in the hope of reversing their fortunes, while others have folded or partially hidden it. Tour winners and domestiques alike have all done it over the years, and every July the ritual quietly returns.
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Why Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe embraced number 13
Taking the new kit out for a spin in Munich
© Conny Mirbach/Red Bull Content Pool
For the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe squad, however, number 13 tells a very different story. The Grand Départ in Barcelona this year will mark the team's 13th appearance at the Tour de France, while both Lipowitz and Evenepoel happened to claim their first professional victories wearing race number 13.
During the team’s Tour debut in 2014, it was Stage 13 that first put the squad in the spotlight of the cycling world. In 2018, the team celebrated victory on Stage 13. One year later, the team’s upside-down race number 13 once again proved to be a lucky charm: Peter Sagan claimed his record-breaking Green Jersey while the team came closer than ever before to the overall podium in Paris.
Florian Lipowitz (R) is hoping that 13 will bring him luck
© Conny Mirbach/Red Bull Content Pool
Perhaps the number 13 will bring me luck. I’m looking forward to the Tour and, above all, to our team’s 13th Tour
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Why number 13 is at the heart of the Tour jersey
Rather than hiding the number, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe have put it front and centre. The inverted 13 forms the visual heart of the new Tour jersey, standing out against the kit's blue-and-white design and turning an old peloton superstition into something worth celebrating. It's a bold departure from tradition – taking a number many riders have tried to avoid and making it the one thing impossible to miss.
Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel will lead the team at its 13th Tour
© Maximilian Fries/Red Bull Content Pool
Notable examples of riders who turned their number 13 jersey inside out:
- Tom Boonen (four-time Paris–Roubaix winner, Tour de France Green Jersey)
- Marcus Burghardt (Tour de France stage winner, 2017 German Champion)
- Tiesj Benoot (Strade Bianche winner)
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So, when Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel lead the team out at this year's Tour de France, they'll do so wearing more than a new jersey. They'll carry a design that embraces one of cycling's oldest traditions, turning an infamous number into a symbol of confidence, ambition and belief.
