Tour de France 101: What do different color jerseys mean? - CSMonitor.com Tour de France 101: What do different color jerseys mean? Andy Schleck of Luxembourg (l.) and Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, ride in the pack during the sixth stage of the Tour de France on Friday. Christophe Ena/AP of What do the different color Tour de France jerseys mean? YELLOW: The maillot jaune, the yellow jersey, is the signature chemise of the Tour de France . It designates the overall leader of the race so far. When cyclists finish the three-week race by cruising through the streets of Paris , the photo of the yellow-shirted winner is seen around the globe. The yellow jersey is awarded after each of the 20 stages, or race days, to the rider who is the overall leader of the race so far. Each day the total amount of time taken to finish that stage is added to the cumulative time of all previous races, and the overall leader is determined. The next day, he wears the yellow throughout the stage. Recommended: Could you pass a US citizenship test?

GREEN: The green jersey, or maillot vert, is the sprinter’s jersey. At every stage, points are awarded to the first 10-25 riders that cross the finish line. The amount of sprint points awarded depends on the day’s course (a flat course produces more points than the mountain terrain) and in what place the rider finishes that day. Some stages have mini-sprints within the stage that are worth points. German Erik Zabel holds the record for winning the final green jersey in the Tour six consecutive times, between 1996 and 2001. Photos of the Day Photos of the day 02/08 WHITE WITH RED POLKA DOTS: This is the King of the Mountains jersey. Points are awarded to the first rider to reach the crest of designated hills and mountains. Mountains are graded according to steepness, length, and position on the course, and points correspond to the grade. The best climber awards began in 1933, and the maillot à pois rouges was first worn in 1975. WHITE: This jersey is worn by the fastest overall rider under the age of 25 (on Jan.

1 in the year of the race). The first white jersey was worn in 1975. There are other prizes and competitions within the Tour de France that don’t involve jerseys. For example, the most combative rider of each stage – the one who tries to break clear of the field – will wear a red number on a white background, instead of the usual black on white. And the team prize – based on the team with the fastest three riders – wears a black number on a yellow background. More Tour de France 101 stories: Jerseys of the Tour de France Home > Events > Cycling > Tour de France > Jerseys Jerseys of the Tour de France In the Tour, a colored jersey is generally associated with each prize, and the current holder of the prize is required to wear the jersey when racing. The rider leading a classification at the end of a stage is required to wear the corresponding jersey during the next stage. Jerseys are awarded in a ceremony immediately following the stage. Where a single rider leads in the competition for more than one jersey, they wear the most prestigious jersey to which they are entitled, and the second-placed rider in each of the other classifications becomes entitled to wear the corresponding jersey.

Yellow Jersey The yellow jersey, known in French as the maillot jaune, is worn by the overall time leader, and is the most prized jersey. It is awarded by calculating the total combined race time up to that point for each rider. The yellow jersey was first awarded in 1919 to make the race leader stand out. The color yellow was chosen because the pages of the race sponsor's magazine, L'Auto, were yellow. Green Jersey The green jersey, known in French as the maillot vert, is awarded to the cyclist with the highest number of sprint points. Points for this jersey are gained by the riders who finish first, second, etc., at the end of each stage. The number of points for each place and the number of riders rewarded varies depending on the type of stage as the flatter stages are more likely to result in a sprint finish. Flat stages give the winner 35 points down to 1 point for the 25th rider; medium mountain stages give the winner 25 points down to 1 point for the 20th rider; high mountain stages give the winner 20 points down to 1 point for the 15th rider.

Points are also awarded for individual time trial stages: 15 for the winner down to 1 for the 10th rider. Additional points are available at intermediate sprint contests, usually occurring 2 or 3 times in each stage at pre-determined locations; currently 6, 4 and 2 points are available to the first 3 riders at each sprint. Polka Dot Jersey The winner of the King of the Mountain wears a white jersey with red dots (known as the maillot à pois rouges in French), which is commonly referred to as the "polka dot jersey". Although the best climber was first recognized in 1933 as the "King of the Mountain", the distinctive polka dot jersey was not introduced until 1975. The colors were decided by the then sponsor, Poulain Chocolate, to match a popular product. At the top of each climb in the Tour, there are points awarded for the riders who are first over the top. The climbs are divided into categories, from 1 to 4 based on their difficulty with 1 being the most difficult, measured as a function of their steepness and length.

A fifth category, called Hors categorie (outside category) is formed by mountains even more difficult than those of the number 1 category. In 2004, the scoring system was changed so that the first rider over a fourth category climb was awarded 3 points while the first to complete a hors category climb would win 20 points. Further points over a fourth category climb are only for the top three places while on a hors category climb the top ten riders are rewarded. Also, beginning in 2004, the points scored on the final climb of the day were doubled if such a climb was at least a second category climb. White Jersey A lesser classification is that for the white jersey (known as the maillot blanc in French), which is like the yellow jersey, but only open for young riders (those who are less than 25 years old on January 1 of the year the Tour is ridden). Other (non-jersey) Awards There is a special award for the cyclist that shows the most "fighting spirit" as determined by a group of judges based on points awarded to riders who made particularly attacking moves that day.

The rider with most points in total gets a white-on-red (instead of a black-on-white) identification number. Then there is a team classification which is determined by adding the time of the first three riders from each team after each stage. Historically, the team classification is not associated with a particular jersey design, though starting in 2006, the leading team wears a yellow number attached to their jersey instead of the standard white. Old Jerseys There are a few jersey that are no longer awarded. There used to be a red jersey awarded for the standings in non-stage-finish sprints. This jersey and award was abolished in 1989. The red jersey was determined by adding points which were awarded to the first three riders to pass two or three intermediate locations during the stage. These sprints also scored points towards the green jersey and bonus seconds towards the overall classification, as well as cash prizes offered by the residents of the area where the sprint took place. The sprints still remain in the Tour with the bonus seconds, prizes and points towards the green jersey are still awarded There was also a combination jersey, which had a patchwork design, with areas resembling each individual jersey design.

This jersey was presented to the leader of a points system based on standings for the yellow, green, red, and polka-dot jerseys. This was abolished in 1989, the same year the red jersey was abolished. Other Jerseys Rainbow Jersey The current world champion can wear the rainbow jersey when he competes in the Tour de France. National Jerseys The current national road race champions can wear their national jerseys in "ordinary stages", while the national time-trial champions are allowed to wear their national jerseys in the time-trial stages only. Share: BBC Sport Academy | Other Sport | Cycling | Who wears what at the Tour de France? Who wears what at the Tour de France? Around the Academy: All together now: yellow, polka-dot, white and green Among the many team tops worn by riders at the Tour de France there are four instantly recognisable jerseys. They are coloured yellow, white, green and white with red polka-dots. But who wears them and what does each one mean? The overall winner wears one and so does the fastest sprinter. There is a special jersey worn by the best climber and one is awarded to the best young rider. But who wears what?

How the Tour de France's yellow jersey came to be yellow - CSMonitor.com How the Tour de France's yellow jersey came to be yellow Wearing the yellow jersey, which indicates the overall leader in the Tour de France, confers power in the peloton – the pack slows if he has to make a pit stop – and financial gain. By Jon Brand, Correspondent Save for later Saved Alberto Contador of Spain puts on the overall leader's yellow jersey on the podium after the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 187.5 kilometers (116.5 miles) with start in Pamiers and finish in Bagneres-de-Luchon, Pyrenees region, France, Monday, July 19. Bas Czerwinski/AP View Caption of Bagnères-de-Luchon, France — Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong was never known for his stellar French, but at least he was original in nicknaming the maillot jaune "Mellow Johnny." Andy Schleck , who is battling Alberto Contador this year for the yellow jersey worn by the overall race leader, has miles to go in the creativity department.

“I’m pleased I have this jersey,” he said, after donning yellow for the first time in his career after Stage 9 a week ago. He wore the jersey for the next six stages until losing it to Contador today when the Spaniard attacked just as Schleck's chain popped off in Stage 15. Photos of the Day Photos of the day 02/08 “This jersey” is not just professional cycling’s most prestigious prize, it’s also an icon that transcends the sport. Sponsors like Nike and LCL, a French bank, spend millions of euros each year to put their logos on the kit. Wearing it confers power in the peloton – if the race leader has to use the bathroom during the race, for example, the pack slows down to wait – and financial gain: €350 ($450) after each stage, a cool €450,000 for winning the race. How the yellow jersey came to be yellow Before there was yellow, there was green. During the race’s first decade, at the dawn of the 20th century, leaders wore a green armband over their cycling outfits. It didn’t exactly stand out.

“Spectators didn’t know who was in the lead; it wasn’t very interesting to follow,” says VeloNews’ John Wilcockson, a veteran reporter following his 42nd Tour de France. So in 1913 – or 1919, depending on whom you ask – race founder Henri Desgrange developed a plan to more clearly identify the top rider. At the time, Desgrange was editor of L’Auto, the newspaper that funded the race, and decided to fashion a jersey to mirror the yellow-colored broadsheet the paper was printed on. After seeing that it increased the race’s popularity, organizers have added other colored jerseys over the years, including green for sprinters and polka dot for mountain climbers, to make the race more interesting to viewers. But the yellow jersey continues to be the most coveted. Tough ride for teammates The maillot jaune also means added responsibility though – not just for the top rider, but for their teams as well. During the race, they get him water, keep him out of crashes and, if rival riders break away, work like crazy to pull them back in to the peloton.

In Friday’s Stage 12, Schleck's Saxo Bank team spent about three and a half hours chasing down a potentially dangerous break. It’s a stressful job. “You think 100 times a day, ‘Oh, we should just let it go, it’s too hard,’” says Saxo Bank’s Jens Voigt , who’s worn yellow twice in previous Tours. Some teams have done that to alleviate the pressure on their main rider. In 2004, Lance Armstrong took the jersey during Stage 4’s team time trial, too early in the three-week race for his liking. The next day, his US Postal team let the jersey go to Thomas Voeckler , who spent 10 stages wearing yellow before Armstrong took it back. A yellow bike for Schleck While the eventual winners become legends, even one day in yellow guarantees a permanent place in the sport’s history: During his 2004 stint, Thomas Voeckler rode into French cycling lore. His performance also provided visibility for his team’s sponsor, Brioches la Boulangère, whose logo was displayed on the chest of the jersey while Voeckler had the lead.

“For a team that’s not going to get on the podium in Paris , that is huge publicity,” says Wilcockson. To reward a leader, teams will fashion accoutrement to complement the jersey, like a helmet or sunglasses. Saxo Bank has even prepared a specially painted yellow bike for Schleck, hoping it will give him extra motivation to win this year’s race. Outside of the team bus in Revel last Saturday, it stood out next to his teammates’ standard white models. Nearby, Jens Voigt was leaving for the start line. “Yellow’s a beautiful color, no?” he said. Tour de France jersey colours and prize money – a guide - BikeRadar BikeRadar Procycling Magazine Procycling brings you the colour, action and drama of the world's most spectacular sport in a glossy and dynamic magazine. It's the authoritative, worldwide voice of international professional road racing, distributed in every country where there are English-speaking fans. With exclusive features and spectacular photography, Procycling brings to life the complexities, rivalries and hardships of the European professional scene. Cycling Plus Cycling Plus is the manual for the modern road cyclist. Whether you're cycling weekly, an occasional new rider or a Tour de France fan you’ll find everything you need.

Every issue is packed with expert reviews of the latest road bikes and gear, inspirational routes and rides, evocative features that take you inside every aspect of cycling and unmatched nutrition, fitness and training advice. What Mountain Bike UK What Mountain Bike is the magazine that gets to the heart of what matters in mountain biking. Whether it's new bikes, fresh kit, inspiring photography or the low down on the latest trail developments, What Mountain Bike has something for every rider. Our team cuts through jargon and marketing spin to tell you what you need to know, with honest, informed opinions and a wealth of experience. Mountain Biking UK Mountain Biking UK celebrates everything that is great about mountain biking, enabling people of all abilities and ages to have a better time on their bike. MBUK brings you all the latest news, coolest kit, plus exclusive info on the newest and best bikes that you can buy. June 28, 2014 8:00am GMT Share on Facebook Tour de France jersey colours and prize money - a guide Plus other rules explained and frequently asked questions answered 1 / 9 All the 2013 jerseys together.

L-R: Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp), Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Chris Froome (Sky), Peter Sagan (Cannondale) (Tim de Waele) 2 / 9 Chris Froome accepts his yellow jersey on the Champs Elysees in Paris last year. Can he make it two in a row? (Tim de Waele) The white jersey for the best young rider (Courtesy) The Tour de France yellow jersey, with the white rose of Yorkshire emblem (Courtesy) The green jersey for the most consistent finisher (Courtesy) The disinctive polka dot jersey for the best climber (Courtesy) Speeds in the Tour can be very high, over 60km/h on the flat sometimes (AFP/Getty Images) 8 / 9 Mountain categories are decided by the severity of the climb and its position in the stage, among other things (AFP/Getty Images) 9 / 9 Not everyone can cross the line at once.

To avoid everyone contesting the finish, each rider in a given bunch is awarded the same time (AFP/Getty Images) Skip Ad On Saturday, 5 July, the 2014 Tour de France will begin in Yorkshire and a battle for the yellow jersey will start. While competition for the fabled maillot jaune towers over the three-week race, other contests add to the rich tapestry of the race's 101st edition. Here, BikeRadar runs through the meanings behind the yellow, green, polka dot and white jersey colours, and who we think are the favourites are to win them. Yellow jersey (maillot jaune) Awarded to the rider with the lowest aggregated time after each stage. For 2014, the route contains numerous opportunities for contenders to attack. There are six designated mountain stages, of which five are summit finishes. This year there's just one time trial – a 54km race on stage 20 that could be decisive in annointing the winner. Along the way, yellow jersey favourites will have to avoid crashes and beware of traps set by rival teams in crosswinds or over tricky terrain.

Unlike the Giro d’Italia , there are no time bonuses awarded for winning stages.The final overall winner of the yellow jersey will take home €450,000, which will typically be split among his teammates. Favourites: Chris Froome (Team Sky), Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Tejay van Garderen (BMC) The tour de france yellow jersey, with the white rose of yorkshire emblem: the tour de france yellow jersey, with the white rose of yorkshire emblem Tour de France maillot jaune Green jersey (maillot vert) The green jersey points competition was established more than 60 years ago for the most consistent finisher. Competition rules mean it’s weighted towards sprinters – more points are on offer on flat stages than medium mountain, high mountain and individual TT stages. On a sprint stage, the winner collects 45 points; on a medium mountain stage, 30 points; in the high mountains and individual time trial stages, just 20 points. Points are awarded on a sliding scale down to 15th place.

Additionally, green jersey points are awarded at intermediate sprints, down to 15 riders – 20 points for first place down to one for the 15th rider. The competition structure means strategy is just as key as pure speed – contenders can gamble all and target the finales of the nine flat sprint stages, or try to escape the peloton and hoover up points on intermediate sprints. It’s an intriguing battle that begins on the very first day and can last right up to the final sprint on the Champs-Élysées. The winner will collect €25,000. Favourites: Peter Sagan ( Cannondale ), Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-QuickStep), Marcel Kittel The green jersey for the most consistent finisher: the green jersey for the most consistent finisher The maillot vert is for the most consistent finisher Polka dot jersey Red polka dots denote the best climber, defined by the rider who accumulates the most points cresting hills and mountains at the front of the race. Summits are classified according to difficulty – fourth category climbs are mild, HC climbs are leg breakers.

As with the green jersey, points are awarded on sliding scales for lesser-placed finishers. In a further twist, polka dot points are doubled on the five summit finish days (La Planche des Belle Filles, Chamrousse, Risoul, Pla d'Adet and Hautacam). The battle for the jersey will likely burst into life on stage nine when the peloton tackle six categorised climbs during the 170km stage. The probable route to the €25,000 prize lies in targeting category one (10 points for the winner) and HC climbs (25 points) and being very close to the front on days when points are doubled. The structure means someone well-placed on the general classification stands a good chance of collecting this jersey. Favourites: Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol), Vincenzo Nibali, Thibaut Pinot The disinctive polka dot jersey for the best climber: the disinctive polka dot jersey for the best climber Specialist climbers will be after the polka dot jersey White jersey Awarded to the best young rider in the general classification.

To be eligible for the €20,000 prize, riders must be aged 25 or under. Favourites: Tejay van Garderen BMC; Rohan Dennis ( Garmin -Sharp) The white jersey for the best young rider: the white jersey for the best young rider The simple white jersey Team competition The battle for best team is an underrated one that usually simmers for three weeks. The competition is based on adding the times of each team’s first three finishers at every stage finale. The winning squad will have with the lowest accumulated time, and take home €50,000. Favourites: BMC Racing, Tinkoff-Saxo Bank, AG2R-La Mondiale Most aggressive rider Watch out for a rider wearing a red race number (dossard rouge) – it denotes that they were the most aggressive rider the previous day, based largely on the amount of time they spent the breakaway. However, it also has a subjective element; an eight-person jury of cycling experts conclude on winners. At the end of the 21 stages, the jury awards €20,000 to the ‘super-combative’ rider.

Favourites: Christophe Riblon (AG2R-La Mondiale), Arthur Vichot (FDJ.fr) Other frequently asked questions about the Tour de France What's the average speed of the Tour de France? The average speed of modern editions of the Tour de France is typically in the region of 40km/h (25mph). The fastest ever Tour de France average speed was 41.654 km/h (25.88mph) over the 3608km of the 2005 edition. Note, the winner that year, Lance Armstrong, was subsequently disqualified from all his Tour victories for doping. The 2010-2012 editions of the Tour averaged between 39.5 and 40km/h. Last year the speed crept up to 40.5km/h. The fastest average speed in a mass start road stage of the Tour de France is 50.355 km/h over 194.5km by Mario Cipollini in the Laval-Blois stage in 1999 .

The fastest ever prologue time trial (under 8km) is 55.152km/h over 7.2km, set by Chris Boardman in the prologue of the 1994 Tour de France in Liege. The fastest mid-length (8-30km) time trial was 54.676km/h over 19km set by David Zabriskie in the first stage of the 2005 Tour. The fastest long time trial is 54.359km/h over 49km, ridden by David Millar in stage 19 of the 2003 Tour. Average speeds in the Tour are influenced by wind direction and strength, hilliness, aerodynamics, weight, tactics and, of course, rider power output. How long is the Tour de France? The Tour's length has changed greatly since it first started in 1903 with a 2,428km race. The following year was the shortest ever Tour at 2,420km, before the trend towards longer races took hold.

This peaked in 1926 with a 5,745km race, which was the longest ever Tour de France. Since 1999, the Tour's length has varied between 3,282km and 3,657km run over 21 stages. The 2014 Tour de France is 3,664km long. Why do so many riders have the same finish time? They can't all cross the line together surely? Not everyone can cross the line at once. to avoid everyone contesting the finish, each rider in a given bunch is awarded the same time: Not everyone can cross the line at once. To avoid everyone contesting the finish, each rider in a given bunch is awarded the same time It's impossible for 180 riders to all cross the line simultaneously, of course, so the Tour (and most other stage races) operates the legal fiction that all the riders in the race's main pack cross the line at the same time as the first rider of that group. But if a split forms and the gap is larger than one second, the next group gets the time of the first rider of that group.

Overall, it's designed to save a mad rush for the line and in most cases it's too difficult to allocate separate times. How is the teams classification calculated? The teams classification is calculated based on the total time of the first three riders across the line from each team each day, rather than the first three riders on general classification from each team. The winner of this classification is the team with the lowest cumulative overall time at the end of 20 stages. If a team is reduced to less than three riders, they are eliminated from the teams competition. How do you get a negative number of points in the points classification? A number of readers have commented on a curiosity in the points classification in the fight for the green jersey, where some riders actually have negative points. This arises because the organisers impose penalties for various infractions in a number of ways. The most common is a monetary fine, paid in Swiss francs. A harsher penalty is to add time from the rider's GC time, or deduct points from their points tally. If the rider has been particularly naughty, they will be disqualified from the race.

Riders can be penalised in a lot of ways, for example, hanging onto a team car, or taking too many 'bottles' from the director sportif; answering the call of nature in front of the public (when you gotta go, you gotta go); causing another rider to crash, or otherwise riding dangerously in the bunch; hitching a ride to the finish in the Tour director, Christian Prudhomme's car; giving spectators the evil eye, and so on. What method is used to decide who wears the green jersey when two riders are tied on points? When two riders have an equal number of points, the criteria used to decide who should wear the green jersey is the rider with the most number of second places where points have been allocated, then the most number of third places, and so on. What do the climb categories mean? Mountain categories are decided by the severity of the climb and its position in the stage, among other things: Mountain categories are decided by the severity of the climb and its position in the stage, among other things Climbs are graded according to their severity, from fourth (easy) to first (hard) category, plus the very hardest climbs which are considered 'hors categorie' or 'beyond category'.

The gradings take into account the length and steepness of the climb and the position of the climb in the stage, with the quality of the road surface making up a final, less important factor. How are the gradients calculated? A grade of, say, 10 percent, simply means that the road ascends 10m for every 100m it travels horizontally. For those with a mathematical bent, it's a simple tangent ratio. Climb grades are averages for the whole climb, so a straightforward-sounding six percent grade can hide some much steeper pitches that make it a monster. So how fast are these guys, really? Average speeds, even across the same race route, can vary markedly depending on the tactics employed by various teams. Generally speaking, on a flat-ish stage of around 200km in length, the average speed of the peloton would be in excess of 50 km/h on the flatter sections and around 60 km/h in the final kilometres of the stage.

Speeds in the tour can be very high, over 60km/h on the flat sometimes: Speeds in the Tour can be very high, over 60km/h on the flat sometimes Obviously for a break to stay away, they need to be moving faster than the peloton; and by using time checks from the race organisers as well as information from team directors, the riders in the break know what speed they need to be travelling at to stay away and the riders in the bunch know what speed they need to be moving at to catch the break – which is why it almost seems to happen like clockwork when the peloton bridge the gap to the breakaway group, often with less than 10km to go. Climbing speeds are particularly difficult to place an arbitrary figure on due to the huge variation in gradients, relative altitude, temperature, wind velocity and direction, and road surfaces. Again, generally speaking, on a climb like Mont Ventoux with an average gradient of around 7.5 percent, the riders in the "laughing group" would be travelling at around 10km/h on the steeper sections of the climb due to its severity.

Again, the speeds encountered in bunch sprints vary depending on the type of finish; however the winners in previous stages of the Tour de France have reached speeds in excess of 70km/h. Now that's movin'. How do the organisers decide the start order for the prologue and following time trials throughout the race? The start order for the prologue of any Grand Tour is determined by race management, with last year's winner always riding last. The start order for the following time trials is based on a rider's time on general classification from the stage prior to the time trial, with the riders lowest on the overall classification leaving first. If a rider was first last year and wears number 1, why doesn't last year's second place wear number 2? The only rider number that indicates the placing of a rider from the previous year's race is the overall winner. There is no particular order for the riders from other teams, though it is customary for the team's protected GC rider to also wear the dossard that ends in a one – 11, 31 181, etc.

Related Links The Jerseys of the Tour - Tour de France 2014 The Jerseys of the Tour Homepage > The Jerseys of the Tour The Jerseys of the Tour THE TOUR DE FRANCE JERSEYS Le Tour de France 2014 extends its route for England! The iconic Tour de France race will see the French manufacturer honour the English county of Yorkshire, which will be hosting the Grand Départ in July 2014. DESIGN The 1951 first historic flat seamed collared Yellow Jersey from le coq sportif is re-interpreted for the 2014 edition with the famous white rose of Yorkshire – a touch of originality that will unite perfectly alongside the velvety, flocked le coq sportif logo and the initials of the founder of the Tour de France, Henri Desgrange. These two uniquely French signatures are joined by an inscription on the back of the jersey, also in French, dedicated to Desgrange and stating: “En 1903, Henri Desgrange créait le plus grand évènement cycliste de tous les temps “ (In 1903, Henri Desgrange created the greatest cycling event of all time).

The inside of the collar is lined with the little triangles so dear to le coq sportif’s heart and the tricolour label on the back adds the French signature finishing touch to the 2014 jersey. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY & EXPERTISE The 2014 Yellow Jersey is constructed from a mixture of high tech materials that ensure it is ultra-light and are demonstrated in aerodynamic properties such as; the front panel, the anatomical cut that fits the rider’s body perfectly, and a transparent silicone band printed with the famous le coq sportif initials with multi-triangle motif on the back of the jersey at the bottom. This season, the bands on the bottom front of the jersey and inside the sleeve-edges are made of polyurethane, ensuring they stay perfectly in place and stop any air getting in. The sleeves are cut from a single, supple and seamless piece of elastane-mix fabric to further increase rider comfort, and stop just below the triceps, avoiding all pressure points so as to improve blood flow in the arms. Additional key details include a mid-length zip to improve airflow, which is also helped by two ventilation panels in the back.

A triangular one at the nape of the neck, made of ultra-breathable 3D mesh, is joined to a second micro-aerated mesh panel across the back. All these features are designed to regulate the rider’s temperature in the varied weather conditions, reducing energy expenditure. Last but not least, the jersey boasts only flat, non-irritating seams. For this new season of sport, le coq sportif has once again combined expertise with a spirit of path-breaking innovation in its efforts to offer Tour de France champions a daring fusion of advanced technology and style. © Le Coq Sportif Green jersey The green jersey was created in 1953 for the 50th anniversary of the race. It brought a new interest to the race, the yellow jersey not being the only jersey at stake any longer. The first green jersey in history was held by Swiss Fritz Schaer. It is worn by the leader of the points classification. Points are being awarded in the intermediate sprints and the stage finishes. It has been sponsored by PMU since 1992.

© Le Coq Sportif Polka-dot jersey The King of the Mountains classification was created in 1933 for the best climbers (first winner: Spain’s Vicente Trueba). But the polka-dot jersey only appeared in 1975. France’s Richard Virenque holds the record of most KOM jerseys: he won it seven times between 1994 and 2004. The polka-dot jersey is sponsored by Carrefour. © Le Coq Sportif White jersey It was created in 1975. In 1988, the jersey was abandoned, but not the best young rider classification. The white jersey was reintroduced in the peloton in 2000. It rewards the best-placed under-25 rider in the overall standings. The jersey revealed some of the best talents in the sport – Denis Menchov in 2003, Alberto Contador in 2007, Andy Schleck from 2008 and 2010, Pierre Rolland in 2012. It has been sponsored by Skoda since 2004.

Kids guide to Tour de France jersey colours - Cycle Sprog > Kids guide to Tour de France jersey colours Kids guide to Tour de France jersey colours When you’re watching the Tour de France on TV, you’ll hear the commentator talking about different colour jerseys. But what do they all mean? To help, here is the Cycle Sprog kids guide to Tour de France jersey colours. If you’re looking for where to buy kids sized Tour de France jerseys then click here for our other post . Kids guide to Tour de France jersey colours There are four different jerseys awarded in the Tour de France. The most famous is the yellow jersey, but there are also green, white and a polka dot jersey awarded each day. Many people think that the cyclist who wins that day’s race gets the yellow jersey, but this is WRONG! This rider is called the Stage Winner, and they get to go up onto the podium and celebrate their win. They don’t get a jersey just for winning a stage. Sometimes the stage winner also wins a jersey, but this doesn’t happen every day. The coloured jerseys are awarded to riders for being the best or fastest in the overall race, and they get to ride wearing the jersey the next day.

The Jersey is made of a material called Polyester that keeps the rider cool. Tour de France yellow jersey At the end of each stage of the Tour de France, the cyclist with the FASTEST OVERALL time from the very start of the race gets to wear the famous Yellow Jersey. This is called the ‘Maillot Jaune’ in French. When a cyclist crosses the finish line their time is recorded, and this is their time for that day (know as a stage). At the end of each day, the cyclists have all of their stage times from the start of the race added up. The cyclist with the quickest overall time from the very start of the race is awarded the yellow jersey to wear on the next stage of the Tour de France. On the first day of the Tour de France the stage winner is also the Yellow Jersey winner, because there are no other stages to add into the maths. It is possible for Tour de France rider to be wearing the yellow jersey and not to have won a stage. They may have finished in the top few places every day, meaning that they are a very fit and have a very fast overall time, but have not actually won a stage.

Sometimes one person leads all the way through the Tour de France and gets to wear the yellow jersey every day. The first person to do this was the Italian Ottavio Bottecchia in 1928. It has only happened 3 times in the races’ history – the last time was in 1935. Tour de France polka dot jersey The best climber in the Tour de France is known as the ‘King of the Mountains’. They are awarded the polka dot jersey. It is white with red dots, and is known as ‘malliot a pois rouges’ in French. The King of the Mountains is the rider who has the most points from the mountain stages. Points are given out to riders who get to the top of the mountains first. The steeper the mountain, the more points a rider can get. Richard Virenque was the overall King of the Mountains seven times between 1994 and 2004. If you’re a good hill climber you could ask for a kids sized King of the Mountain replica jersey for your next birthday! Tour de France green jersey The Green Jersey is officially known as the “Points Classification” jersey, but it’s often called the Sprinters Jersey.

The green jersey is worn by the best sprinter and time trialist. In French the green jersey is known as the ‘maillot vert’. At the end of each stage points are given out to all the riders. More points are given out for flat stages than mountain stages, and lots of extra points can be won for winning smaller sprint races within a stage. Points can be taken off a rider if they do something wrong and break the rules of the race. Tour de France white jersey The Tour de France White Jersey is given to the best young rider (under 26 years old) overall. In French the white jersey is known as ‘le maillot blanc’. The race organisers use the same maths to work out who wears the white jersey as they do for the yellow jersey. The Tour de France race winner The overall winner of the Tour de France is the rider with the quickest time across all of the stages. The winner is usually decided on the day before the last stage. This means that the winner of the Tour de France can ride into Paris on the last day, knowing that they have won.

The end of the Tour de France is the famous sprint down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées – it is a great honour for a sprinter to win this final stage. It is possible for a rider who has not been in the lead, and never worn the yellow jersey, to win the overall Tour de France by cycling very fast on the last day. This has only happened twice so far – in 1947 and 1968. Tour de France Team jerseys All the riders in the Tour de France belong to a team, and each team has their own jerseys, which show who the team sponsor is. The 5 best Tour de France kids size jerseys Team Sky is one of the Tour de France Teams, and Chris Froome is their lead rider this year. Bradley Wiggins rode for Team Sky and won the Tour de France in 2012, and Chris Froome did the same in 2013 and 2015. Want more information on the Tour de France? We hope you’ve enjoyed our kids guide to Tour de France jersey colours.

To help kids of all ages enjoy the Tour de France, we’ve written a series of kids guides to the Tour de France – we hope you find them useful. If you’ve enjoyed reading our Kids guide to Tour de France jersey colours you can find out more about some other cycling jerseys here . We hope you enjoyed this Kids Guide to the Tour de France jersey colours. We’ve got lots of other kids information on the Tour de France in our special section – enjoy the race! This Kids Guide to Tour de France jersey colours was first published on 21st June 2013, and has been updated for the 2016 Tour de France Affiliate Disclosure: Cycle Sprog may get a small commission from purchases made when links on this page are clicked. We use this to fund the website – thank you so much for your support.

Posted June 21st, 2016 by Karen in get cycling , Tour de France Previous Tour de France (Cycling) This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Tour de France (Cycling) France Presentation of the Tour de France The Tour de France ( official website ), often nicknamed Le Tour or La Grande Boucle (The Great Loop), is a bicycle stage race ran every year in July. The "biggest cyclist race ever organized" was staged for the first time in 1903 by Henri Desgranges (1865-1940), the director of the sports newspaper L'Auto. Desgranges, engaged in a commercial war against the other French sports newspaper, Le Vélo, was prompted by the journalist Géo Lefèvre (1877-1961) to organize a new event; this was mostly successful since Le Vélo" was stopped the next year.

The yellow jersey worn by the race's leader was invented by Desgranges, yellow being the color of the paper on which L'Auto was printed ( image ); the yellow jersey was worn for the first time by Eugène Christophe on 19 July 1919. The record of final wins in the Tour de France (7) is held by Lance Armstrong (1999 to 2005, pending to cancellation), followed (5) by Jacques Anquetil (1957, 1961 to 1964), Eddy Merckx (1969 to 1972, 1974), Bernard Hinault ( 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985) and Miguel Indurain (1991 to 1995). The record of won stages is held by Eddy Merckx (34), who also wore the yellow jersey for the biggest number of days (111). Over the decades, the Tour de France has became one of the leading sports event worldwide, while its popularity never decreased in France.

The race is a recurrent summer epos, with its legendary competitors attached colourful nicknames, to name a few , "The Old Gaul" (Eugène Christophe), "Biquet" (Jean Robic), "The Eagle of Toledo" (Federico Bahamontes), "Top Gun" (Raphaël Géminiani), "The Cannibal" (Eddy Merckx), "The Badger" (Bernard Hinault), "The Flea of St. Gall" (Beat Breu), and "Spartacus" (Fabio Cancellara).

Some remote places where heroic events of the epos took place became Meccas of the Tour de France, such as the forge of the village of Sainte- Marie-de-Campan (Pyrénées), where Eugène Christophe repaired his bicycle broken by a car during the 1913 race; the Bonsecours Hill, where Jean Robic attacked during the last stage of the 1947 race and "stole" the yellow jersey from Pierre Brambilla; the Mont Ventoux, where Tom Simpson died on 13 July 1967; and the Menté Pass, where Luis Ocaña, wearing the yellow jersey, fell down in a precipice during a huge thunderstorm on 12 July 1971. Several other events (achievements, feelings of weakness, plots, tricks and betrayals) are still remembered decades later and thoroughly transmitted from generation to generation. In spite of its globalization and incorporation into the UCI World Tour, the Tour de France has kept some of its emblematic characteristics.

The successors of Henri Desgranges have been able to shape the image of the race, creating or popularizing strong symbols such as the advertising caravan, the polka dot jersey, the Lanterne Rouge, the red pennant , etc. The pre-1950s, "archaic" period of the Tour de France lacks a comprehensive visual documentation. However, a vivid rendition of the competition was made by the famous reporter Albert Londres (1884-1932), hired in 1924 by the daily Le Petit Parisien and the archetype of the "followers" of the Tour de France, who form a community specific to that kind of race. Londres' chronicles were subsequently compiled in a booklet called Tour de France, tour de souffrance.

Some modern features of the race already existed at the time, such as the popularity of the race ("Ten million French people are crazy and 16 to 19 million microbes dance in each cubic meter of air around the racers" - the Italian Bottechia did not wore the yellow jersey in the stage that reached the Italian border to avoid the frenzy of his fans), the conflicts between the director of the race and the competitors, the use of illicit products ("cocaine for the eyes, chloroform for the gums"). Albert Londres coined some famous expressions such as les géants de la route (the road giants). Other features reported by Londres seem to date from the oldest times, such as the long stages (for instance, Les Sables-d'Olonne-Bayonne, 482 km, won after 20 h 30' by Omer Huysse), which started during the night ("Some 60 'red lanterns' lost their way around France. Nobody knows what happened to these men.

They broke a wheel, preferably during the night.") watched by spectators crowded around braseros ("they looked like tribes having just learned the presence of a tiger in the neighborhood"), the low numbers of "crusaders" or "pilgrims" who completed the Tour ("More than 150 went on, only 60 came back"), the total lack of safety measures ("They rode on roads that were not theirs [...] Cows, geese, dogs and men jumped in their legs.") and the odd diet of the competitors ("Vertemati eats every day no less than three chickens, twelve eggs and two legs of lamb. Vertemati is not fat").

The cantor of the modern period of Tour de France was the talented novelist Antoine Blondin (1922-1991), who wrote from 1954 to 1982 (except 1958) a daily chronicle in the sports newspaper L'Équipe - the chronicles were compiled in 2001 under the title of Tours de France : chroniques intégrales de L'Équipe, 1954-1982; in the early years of Blondin's chronicles, TV images were still sparse and accessible to only a few. With time, Blondin's inimitable thrilling, witty and humanist style definitively forged the epos of the Tour de France. Blondin described in 1967 the Mont Ventoux "with its old rocks white-heated like the calculi of a cyclops", writing the next day in Tom Simpson's funerary elegy "We enjoyed thinking that he had tied Eton's tie around the handlebars of a machine that most see only as the postman's bread and butter".

Ivan Sache, 20 September 2012 Official flag of the Tour de France The official flag of Tour de France ( photo ) is in size 100 cm x 140 cm, yellow with the logo of the race, made of the stylized name of the race ("Le Tour de France") in black letters an a white disk (yellow on the self-standing logo). A careful examination of the logo reveals that the "O" (with a dot inside), the "U" and the "R" (with a dot on the right) of "TOUR", form, together with the white disk, the silhouette of a cyclist. The logo, designed by the Saguez & Partners agency, was adopted in 2003 for the Tour of the Centenary. The writing is "a symbol of power and technicity". The disk also represents the July sun. Jean-Marie Leblanc, then Director of the Tour de France, said that the new logo "opens on modernity, future and youth, as we hope the values of the Tour will perpetuate for long".

In 2013, to celebrate the 100th Tour de France, the "e" of France will be coloured in gray and a gray "100" will be added below the writing, the gray letters reading "100e" (100th) ( L'Ardoisier blog ). Ivan Sache, 20 September 2012 Pennants in the Tour de France in the 1950s In the 1950s, the official cars and the vehicles of the advertising caravan flew a triangular pennant, horizontally divided red-white-blue ( photo ). The red stripe was charged with "L'ÉQUIPE" in white letters of the font still used today by the newspapers. The white stripe was charged with the Tour's vintage in black letters (for instance, "TOUR DE FRANCE 55" in 1955). The blue stripe was charged with "Le Parisien libéré", in white letters (today, "Le Parisien", in a modernized font, still on a blue background).

In the same period, several triangular pennants were designed by sponsors of the race, for instance the famous Champigneulles brewery ( photo ). The Champigneulles brewery, founded in 1897 in the village of the same name, located in Lorraine, sponsored the Tour de France with the motto La reine des bières parraine la Petite Reine (The Queen of the Beers sponsors the Little Queen - "Little Queen" being the nickname of the bicycle). The nickname "The Queen of the Beers", as well as the crown emblem of the brewery, are said to have been designed by Antoine Trampitsch, the Slovene-born founder of the brewery. Ivan Sache, 20 September 2012 Pennants in the Tour de France in the archaic period In the archaic period, a yellow pennant charged with "L'Auto" in black Gothic letters ( photo ) was used. A similar pennant, seemingly charged with the writing "TOUR DE FRANCE DE l'Auto", was used by the official car of the Tour de France 1913, photographed in Dunkirk ( photo ).

Ivan Sache, 20 September 2012 Red pennant (flamme rouge) The flamme rouge - Image by Ivan Sache, 28 July 2002 The flamme rouge is the red pennant hanging from an archway at the start of the final kilometer of a stage in bicycle races. According to Pierre Chany & Thierry Cazeneuve (La fabuleuse histoire du Tour de France), the flamme rouge was used for the first time during the Tour de France 1906, prescribed as follows: The competitors are kindly requested to note that, at the arrival of each stage: (1) A red flag shall be placed exactly 1 km before the finish line; (2) A white banderole, with Abran carrying a yellow flag, shall mark the finish post. The detailed design of the flamme rouge has changed with time - therefore the red pennant shown above is mostly an archetypal representation of the flag. Most recently, the "flamme rouge" is charged with the official logo of the Tour de France at the top and the white writing "1 / km" ( photo ). The flamme rouge is also used in other sports.

As an example, a plain red flag was used to mark the last kilometer of the Auray-Vannes pedestrian semi-marathon ( photo ). Ivan Sache, 21 September 2012 Start flag For each stage, the current starting procedure involves a "fictitious start", given downtown; the competitors form the "parade" - usually led by those wearing distinctive jerseys. A few km farther, the "real start" is given by the director of the race from the command car, lowering a flag inscribed "DÉPART". (Start). The start of the very first stage, that is, of the Tour de France, is called "Grand Start". In the archaic period, the start of each stage was given by the official starters,the first of them being the once famous and feared Abran. Georges Abran (Georges Abraham, 1846-1918), the Secretary general of L'Auto, was the official starter of the Tour de France.

On 1 July 1903, he launched the first stage of the first Tour de France in front of the caf&ecute; Le Réveil-Matin ("The Alarm Clock") in Montgeron, south of Paris ( photo , L'Auto). The first stage of the Tour of the Centenary was launched from the very same place on 6 July 2003. Jacques Augendre (Abécédaire insolite du Tour) presents Abran as Henri Desgranges' odd job man. Abran, an epicurean dandy famous on the Paris scene, took his duty very seriously; his quarrels with Desgranges, whom he called "Gustave", probably as a provocatio,n and whom he did not hesitate to insult, are part of the early Tour de France epos. Abran died on 27 December 1918, after having enjoyed two last pleasures, the celebration of the 1918 Armistice and a wonderful Christmas' supper.

Christian Laborde (Dictionnaire amoureux du Tour de France) relates that Abran used on 1 July 1906 (and, probably, later on) "a yellow pennant embroidered with the logo of L'Auto. This description makes the pennant very similar to the aforementioned one. Abran wore a big moustache, therefore he might be one of the officials photographed in Dunkirk in 1913 - but all of them, following the trend of the time, do wear a big moustache! Ivan Sache, 21 September 2012 Danger flag Danger flag - Image by Ivan Sache, 21 July 2003 The flag seen most often in the Tour the France is the yellow pennant used to indicate danger, either a dangerous curve or an obstacle.

Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 16 July 2000 Unidentified supporter's flag (2003) Unidentified flag - Image by Ivan Sache, 22 July 2003 A light blue flag with an emblem looking like the Argentinian sun and three blue-white-blue stripes in the bottom of the flag was waved by a supporter very close to the finish line in Luz-Ardiden, on 21 July 2003. This design looks rather Uruguayan / Argentinian but I am not aware of any connection with the Tour de France, except that Juan "the Arrow" Flecha, winner in Toulouse, was born in Argentina. Ivan Sache, 22 July 2003 The "Seven" flag (2005) "Seven" flag - Image by Ivan Sache, 24 July 2005 Lance Armstrong won in 2005 his 7th Tour de France. During the last stage, traditionally a pleasant rally through the countryside of Île-de-France ending with a circuit on the Champs-Elysées and a final sprint, several flags were decorated with number seven.

The most striking of these flags was a home-made flag waived by a supportress somewhere near Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuse, a local hotspot of cycling, where the late Jacques Anquetil won nine times the defunct Grand Prix des Nations; the flag was white with a black "7" inscribed in a black ring. Ivan Sache, 24 July 2005

Question: What is the colour of the jersey worn by the leader in the Tour de France
Answer: Yellow