At last! An answer to the Dossard problem.

You might have read recently that one of the BMC riders, Stetina, is calling for a rethink on the use of the race numbers which are currently, in this high-tec era, still pinned to the pockets of the jersey.

You may also be aware that I am frequently to be heard suggesting that riders should definitely have their name clearly visible on their jerseys somewhere, and frequently moaning that we can't tell who is who in the peloton.

At last! An answer to both problems!

Each team, at the start of the year, numbers their riders from 01 to 32,  or however many they have at that time. This can be the chance to reward star riders with number 01, or to indulge those who have a favourite number. (I still think that Andy prefers to be rider number 6...) These numbers remain with the rider all year - if someone leaves, that number is left blank, and if someone joins mid-season, they get 33, or 34, or whatever.

Meanwhile, the UCI already issues a three-initial team abbreviation, which is used on on-screen graphics, points tables etc.

All we have to do is join the two.

So, for example, Fabian's jerseys would be printed TFR 01. (Presumably!) Twice, once on each pocket, in the same typeface and style as the current dossards. No cheating! Rather like car numberplates in the UK, they will have to comply with certain regulations, and let's face it, the UCI are good at making regulations.

At the next race, the Trek team would be, perhaps, TFR 01, TFR 06, TFR 07, TFR 15, TFR 31 etc. We would know who was who, as the team website would give each rider their number along with their other details.

Helicopter and rear camera footage of the race would be easy for all of us - the initials tell us the team, in case we can't spot them by kit (which, in the case of Giant, Omega Pharma Armbands, Sky, IAM etc can be tricky) and the number tells us which rider. We only have to learn them once, each year: in fact riders may well be allowed by their team to keep "their" number from year to year, during their contract, as a small perk.

No more safety pins, no more dossards flapping about in a very un-aero manner, sounds like a good idea to me?

Ideally, riders would also have their names clearly on their sides or across the shoulders as well, and they could additionally have their number on their helmets, which would help us identify them in the head-on shots.

The drawback is that all riders would have to have personalised kit, which could be an additional expense for smaller teams: although they could always use iron-on transfers for the numbers, to save money.

What are the drawbacks?

1) Well, the overall number gets longer - five units (three letters, two digits) instead of three. Although they could print the number above the letters, for clarity.

2) Some race organisers might be miffed that they no longer have their name on the dossards - although frankly, most of us can barely read the numbers, let alone the small print below it!

3) Cost of personalising all the kit. Well, the use of iron-on patches could help there.

4) Riders having to wear their own kit - we all remember Andy wearing Frankie's skinsuit at the Tour one year, don't we! *laughs* OK, they would have to ensure they each get the right kit, but Team Sky already personalise the jerseys, and many teams have to have special jerseys with National bands on the arms etc, so there is already a high level of individualised jerseys out there.

5) Rainjackets and gilets - already a major problem! Either they have to have a transparent panel at pocket level, or they have to be similarly personalised. If riders complain about the faff of having to get the correct jersey, then perhaps they could attach a small saddle-bag to carry it. That was a joke.

6) Loss of clarity for cameras: currently, the maximum digits on the dossard is three. My suggestion raises it to five - but the letter could be underneath, with the number above it. Easy! If the UCI really think that that is too much to read, we could retain the idea of riders having a permanent number for the year, and teams being allocated a letter of the alphabet, as there are never more than 26 teams in a race. The jerseys could be printed with the rider number, with a space for the iron-on transfer of the letter for each race.

What do you think?