2026 Tour de France: The Meaning of Each Jersey and How to Win It

The jerseys of the Tour de France are one of the greatest symbols of cycling worldwide. Every summer, the world’s best riders compete for three weeks not only for the overall victory in Paris, but also for the chance to wear one of the four jerseys that distinguish the leaders of the race’s main classifications.

Complete Guide to the 2026 Tour de France Jerseys: Yellow, Green, Polka-Dot, and White

At the end of each stage, the leader of each classification receives the corresponding jersey and is entitled to wear it during the following day’s stage. If the same rider leads multiple classifications, there is an order of priority: first the yellow jersey, then the green jersey, the mountains jersey, and finally the white jersey. In that case, the jersey is passed on to the next highest-ranked rider in that category.

At the 2026 Tour de France, we’ll once again see the four jerseys that are part of the history of the Grande Boucle.

Yellow Jersey

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It is the ultimate honor, and very few, highly privileged cyclists have ever worn it—let alone those who have held onto it all the way through Paris to become the race winners.

The yellow jersey was introduced by Henri Desgrange, the race’s founder, during the 1919 Tour to identify the race leader. Yellow was chosen as a reference to the color of the pages of the newspaper L’Auto, the race’s organizer, and its first wearer was the Frenchman Eugène Christophe—the same rider who, the previous year, had seen all his chances of victory vanish when the fork of his bicycle broke while descending the Tourmalet and he had to repair it with his own hands at the blacksmith’s shop in the nearest village.

Nor would he manage to finish first in Paris during that 1919 Tour, where he ultimately took third place on the podium.

Of course, no one comes even close to the 97 days that the legendary Eddy Merckx wore the coveted jersey, followed at a distance by Bernard Hinault’s 76 days and Miguel Indurain’s 60.

The yellow jersey distinguishes the leader of the general classification—that is, the rider with the least accumulated time after each stage. Additionally, on certain stages, time bonuses are awarded to the top finishers—a few seconds that can prove decisive in the fight for the overall victory.

Tadej Pogacar heads into the 2026 Tour de France as the defending champion, having also won the 2024 and 2025 editions, cementing his status as one of the greatest dominators of the modern era.

Green Jersey

Although during the first two editions of the Tour de France the winner was determined—as it is today—by taking into account the riders’ cumulative time across the various stages, the 1904 Tour scandal, in which many cyclists were disqualified after it was discovered that they had completed part of the route by car and train, forced the organizers to establish a points-based classification system the following year.

This system remained in place until 1912, when the time-based classification was reinstated. However, in 1953, coinciding with the race’s 50th anniversary, the Tour de France decided to revive the idea by creating a parallel classification in which riders earned points based on their finishing position and, later, also in intermediate sprints.

The color green was chosen to distinguish the leader of this classification because it was the color used by the lawnmower manufacturer sponsoring the award.

Currently, Peter Sagan remains the most successful rider in this classification with seven overall victories, a record that no one has yet matched. Following his dominance, the green jersey has had several different winners, including Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay, and Jonathan Milan.

The points classification remains the main goal for sprinters. Flat stages award far more points than mountain stages or time trials, so the best sprinters are usually the top favorites to wear green in Paris.

Red Polka-Dot Jersey

The red-polka-dot jersey identifies the leader of the mountains classification, who earns points by finishing in the top positions at the various mountain passes along the Tour de France route.

The first sponsor of this classification was Chocolat Poulain, although the origin of its distinctive design appears to be linked to the jersey worn in the 1930s by French cyclist Henri Lemoine, nicknamed “P’tits Pois.”

In the Grande Boucle, mountain passes are classified into five categories based on their length and difficulty. The easiest are fourth-category climbs, while the most demanding ascents are designated Hors Catégorie, or “out of category.”

The tougher a mountain pass is, the more points it awards and the more riders can earn points. On Hors Catégorie climbs, the first eight cyclists to reach the summit receive points, whereas on fourth-category climbs, only the first rider earns points.

Between 1905 and 1932, the Tour informally recognized the best climber. However, it wasn’t until 1933 that an official mountain classification was established, and it wasn’t until 1975 that the distinctive jersey we know today made its debut.

Incidentally, the first winner of this classification was Vicente Trueba from Cantabria, the famous “Pulga de Torrelavega.” Another Spaniard, Federico Martín Bahamontes, also left an indelible mark by winning the mountains classification six times. Years later, Richard Virenque raised the record to seven victories.

Today, this classification sparks some debate because mountain-top finishes award a large number of points, which tends to favor general classification contenders over pure climbers who seek to make their mark through breakaways.

In addition, reaching the highest point of the Tour usually comes with the prestigious Henri Desgrange Souvenir, a special prize that awards additional points in the mountain classification.

White jersey

In addition to the general classification, there is also the classification for the best young riders.

In the 2026 Tour de France, riders born on or after January 1, 2001, are eligible for this jersey. As with the general classification, the order is determined based on the cumulative time after each stage.

The remarkable precocity of today’s top stars has made this classification increasingly important in recent decades. Riders such as Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel have won the white jersey while simultaneously battling for overall victory in the race.

This jersey did not always have its current meaning. Until 1975, it distinguished the leader of the combined classification, which combined results from the general classification, the mountains classification, and the points classification. From then on, it came to recognize the best young rider, although for some years different age criteria were used, and between 1983 and 1986, it was reserved solely for riders making their debut in the race.

Interestingly, Laurent Fignon, Jan Ullrich, Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Egan Bernal, and Tadej Pogacar are the only riders to have won both the white and yellow jerseys in the same edition of the race.

The Other Rankings

In addition to the distinctive jerseys, the Tour de France features two other traditional classifications.

The first of these is the team classification, which recognizes the best team in the race. To determine the winner, the times of each team’s top three riders are added together at the end of each stage. Members of the leading team may wear yellow bibs and, optionally, yellow helmets during the competition.

Although it is not a classification in the strict sense, at the end of each stage, a prize is also awarded to the most combative rider of the day. The rider chosen by the jury wears a red-background bib the following day. In addition, at the end of the Tour, the “Super Combative” award is presented to recognize the most aggressive rider of the entire race.

The most recent winners of each jersey

The winners of the main classifications in the 2025 edition were:

• Yellow Jersey (General Classification): Tadej Pogacar
• Green Jersey (Points Classification): Jonathan Milan
• Red Polka-Dot Jersey (Mountains Classification): Richard Carapaz
• White Jersey (Best Young Rider): Remco Evenepoel