<Dl> <Dd> "...gave the riders a rare elegance, even if the way it caught the air left something to be desired . In wool, then in Rhovyl--a material used for making underwear--it entered into legend for the quality of those who wore it . Those were the years of national teams . In 1930 Henri Desgrange, the organiser, decided that commercially - sponsored teams were contriving to spoil his race and opted instead for teams representing countries . The Tour de France stayed that way until 1962, when it reverted to commercial teams with the exception of 1967 and 1968 and the riders knotted on their jerseys a spare tyre (across the shoulders) A narrow slip of white cotton placed on the chest showed discreetly the name of the sponsor outside the Tour: La Perle, Mercier, Helyett ..." </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> "...gave the riders a rare elegance, even if the way it caught the air left something to be desired . In wool, then in Rhovyl--a material used for making underwear--it entered into legend for the quality of those who wore it . Those were the years of national teams . In 1930 Henri Desgrange, the organiser, decided that commercially - sponsored teams were contriving to spoil his race and opted instead for teams representing countries . The Tour de France stayed that way until 1962, when it reverted to commercial teams with the exception of 1967 and 1968 and the riders knotted on their jerseys a spare tyre (across the shoulders) A narrow slip of white cotton placed on the chest showed discreetly the name of the sponsor outside the Tour: La Perle, Mercier, Helyett ..." </Dd> <P> The advent of printing by flocking, a process in which cotton fluff is sprayed on to stencilled glue, and then of screen printing, combined with the domination of synthetic materials to increase the advertising on jerseys: the domination which Ollivier regrets . "All sorts of fantasies such as fluorescent jerseys or shorts," he said . Such was the quantity of advertising when Bernard Thévenet accepted the yellow jersey when the Tour finished for the first time on the Champs Elysées in 1975 that the French sports minister counted all the logos and protested to broadcasters . Since then the number of people with access to the podium has been restricted . </P> <P> The French bank, Crédit Lyonnais, has sponsored the maillot jaune since 1987 . The company has been a commercial partner of the Tour since 1981 . It awards a toy lion - le lion en peluche - to each day's winner as a play on its name . In 2007, sponsorship of the jersey was credited to LCL, the new name for Crédit Lyonnais following its takeover by another bank, Crédit Agricole . </P>

What does gr stand for in tour de france