Cycling 101: How the jersey system works in the Tour de France

The Tour de France (TdF) is the premier road bicycle race in the world. Held each July, it covers about 2,250 miles throughout France over a period of about 22 days, including two rest days. That means the riders average about 112 miles per riding day. Some days are slow and mountainous while others are flat and fast. It is arguably the most physically strenuous sporting event in the world.

Here's how it works: Each day, the whole group of approximately 200 riders starts together. Most of the riders will remain together in a bunch, called a "peleton", in order to conserve energy by drafting. But, a few each day will break away in a attempt to gain time over the peleton.

A rider's time for each day accumulates for an overall time. At the finish line in the Champs-Elysees in Paris, the rider with the lowest time wins the TdF. At the end of each day's stage, awards are given in several categories. The four most important awards are represented by colored jerseys.


Yellow Jersey: The yellow jersey (or maillot jaune in French) is given to the overall leader. If a rider takes the lead on day 5, for instance, he gets to wear the yellow jersey on day 6, because he is the "general classification" (GC) leader. The yellow jersey generally changes hands quite a bit. The guy wearing it in Paris is the winner. Lance Armstrong has won the yellow jersey a record 7 times, earning him the nickname "Mellow Johnny," because that is how many Americans mispronounce maillot jaune.

Green Jersey: The green jersey is awarded to the sprint points leader at the end of each day. If a rider wins a sprint in a designated area (usually 1,000 meters long), he is awarded x number of points. Points leaders almost never win the overall yellow, because they have expended all their energy trying to win sprints. Arguably the fastest man on two wheels is Mark Cavendish, the winner of last year's green jersey.

 


Red Polka Dot (or "King of the Mountain) Jersey: This jersey is awarded to the best mountain climber. The TdF is famous for its insane stages in the Alps and the Pyrenees . This rider wins many points for climbing but none for fashion.

White Jersey: The white jersey is awarded to the best young rider (under 26 years of age) who has the lowest GC time. My favorite rider, Andy Schleck (LUX), has won this jersey 3 consecutive times ('08, '09, '10). He has also placed second overall in the TdF three times. He's a leading contender in 2012.




It is possible to win more than one jersey, in which case the rider takes the more important one and passes the other onto the second recipient.

Now that you understand the basics, we can chat about it in July.