Tour de France jerseys – Why does the leader wear yellow and what does each colour mean?

A LOT of people get confused about the Tour de France but one popular topic is the meaning behind the prestigious jerseys.

There are four different coloured jerseys based on the leader of each classification.

Here is everything you need to know about them.

Yellow

The Tour de France yellow jersey is the most popular and sought-after jersey in professional cycling.

It is worn by the race leader at any given stage.

Green

Points are awarded to riders in relation to the position that they finish each stage, and there are additional points for intermediate sprints.

The number of points on offer will vary depending upon the type of stage.

Points are then totalled up after each stage and added to points won in all previous stages.

The green jersey is worn by the rider with the most points, in contrast to the yellow jersey, which is worn by the rider with the quickest time overall.

White

This is the least remembered of the jerseys.

It goes to the under-26 rider who has completed the Tour de France in the least amount of time.

This jersey was first introduced in 1975 and has remained since.

Polka dot

Mountains points are awarded to riders who scale the Tour de France’s climbs first.

Points vary depending on the mountain.

Each climb is divided into five categories ranked on difficulty, so the points are distributed fairly.

Then there’s the Hors category denoted by HC which represents the most challenging of ascents.

If the stage features a summit finish, the points for the climb are doubled.

The rider with the most mountain points wears the polka dot jersey.

Non-jersey classifications

The Combativity award is the award is given to a rider who has been deemed by a race jury to have shown a fighting spirit during each individual stage.
The Team Classification is based on the squad which has collectively completed the race in the least amount of time.