What color jersey does the UCI world champion wear in road cycling?

The UCI road world champion wears the rainbow jersey.

The jersey has five horizontal bands in the UCI colours: blue, red, black, yellow, and green. It is awarded to the winner of a world championship event, including the elite men’s and women’s road races. The champion wears it in relevant races until the next world championship, while former champions may display the rainbow bands on the cuffs and collar of their team jerseys.

The championship jersey is not the same as a race leader’s jersey. For example, the Tour de France’s overall leader wears yellow, while the rainbow jersey identifies a reigning world champion. A rider can therefore wear a world-champion jersey while competing in a stage race, unless another classification or event rule determines the visible jersey.

The UCI introduced the rainbow jersey in 1927 for world champions. Its distinctive bands have since become one of cycling’s most recognisable symbols and are used across road, track, cyclo-cross, mountain biking, and other cycling disciplines.