Tour de France is a colorful event with numerous competitions taking place at the same time. Each competition’s leader wears a unique yellow, white, green, or polka-dot jersey.
Tour de France is a stage race, which is a multi-day event comprising of individual races — or stages — with awards awarded for both each day’s racing and the overall outcomes.
The major competition is timed: each day, the stage is won by the first man to cross the finish line. The battle for the yellow jersey, however, is the most important at the Tour: the rider with the best overall time after 21 stages wins the Tour de France.
Within the event, there are three competitions: the King of the Mountains, the Points competition (also known as the sprinter’s jersey), and the Best Young Rider competition. The leader of each of these categories, like the overall race leader, wears a distinctive jersey throughout the race.
Tour de France Jerseys And Their Meanings
Table of Contents
- Jerseys Manufacturing and Technicalities
- General Classification – Aka – Yellow Jersey
- King Of The Mountains – Aka – Polka Dot Jersey
- Green Sprint Jersey – Aka – Points Competition
- White Jersey or Maillot Blanc – Aka – Best Young Rider
- Other Prizes And Symbols
Jerseys Manufacturing and Technicalities
Santini’s Lallio headquarters, situated outside Bergamo in Northern Italy, developed and manufactured all four Tour de France leader jerseys. On a technological level, they are unrivalled in terms of sustainability and environmental friendliness. The exact location of the materials employed was the result of meticulous research. The jerseys are composed entirely of an ultralight printable fabric manufactured from recycled polyester yarn on the front, back, and back pocket. The raw cut sleeves and collar are made from recycled fabric, while the raw cut collar is made from a very soft, double-face material for maximum comfort.
While the jerseys retain the signature simplicity and purity that has always distinguished the jerseys for the four classifications in the Grande Boucle, they also include subtle key details that distinguish them: from an Arc de Triomphe-inspired silicone gripper to tone-on-tone finishing touches unique to each one, and a silicone patch embroidered with Henri Desgrange’s famous initials on the Yellow Jersey.
At last, each jersey’s story is printed on the inside: «We did some historical research into each of the jerseys so that we could create a story as a reminder of their epic significance, not just to the pro cyclists who will wear them, but also to the fans who will want to have their own replica,» Fergus Niland concluded. But that’s not all: at the end of the final stage, when the Tour de France arrives in Paris, the winner’s name will be written on the jersey.
General Classification – Aka – Yellow Jersey
After each stage, the rider with the fastest overall time receives the yellow race leader’s jersey, which he or she will wear the next day. In contrast to each day’s stage result, the cumulative time is referred to as the general classification. While wearing the yellow jersey on any stage is noteworthy, it is only the overall result after three weeks that determines who wins the Tour de France — and €500,000 ($533,900) in prize money.
King Of The Mountains – Aka – Polka Dot Jersey
The overall winner receives a prise of €25,000 ($26,700).
At the summit of all category climbs, mountain points are awarded. The polka-dot jersey is worn by the rider with the highest cumulative mountain points throughout the race.
Green Sprint Jersey – Aka – Points Competition
Aside from individual time trials, points are awarded at intermediate sprints and at the end of every stage. The rider with the most points receives a green jersey, and the rider with the most points at the end of the race receives green and €25,000 ($26,700) in prize money.
White Jersey or Maillot Blanc – Aka – Best Young Rider
The General Classification leader who is 25 years old or younger wears the white jersey, or maillot blanc. Simply put, it is awarded to the best young rider who has the greatest overall time. The overall winner receives a prise of €20,000 ($21,300).
Tour de France Other Prizes And Symbols
Stage Wins
For a professional cyclist, winning a stage of the Tour de France is a career-defining achievement. Every year, the winner of each of the 21 stages receives €11,000 ($11,700) in prize money.
Most Combative
Instead of the traditional white number on a black background, the rider who was deemed the most aggressive on the previous day’s stage wears a white number on a red background.
The Combativity Award, or Le Prix de la Combativité, is given to the rider who has been deemed the most aggressive throughout the Tour.
The panel will award one rider the “Super Combativity” prize and €20,000 ($21,300) at the end of race.
Teams Classifications
Instead of the customary white on black, the team leading this category wears black numerals on a yellow background.
The cumulative timings of each team’s three best-placed riders are calculated after each stage. The Team Classification and €50,000 ($ 53,300) are awarded to the team with the lowest total time at the end of the race.
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