Points classification in the Tour de France
Introduction The '''points classification''' () is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, which started in 1953.Points are given for high finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints, and these are recorded in a points classification. It is considered a sprinters' competition. The leader is indicated by a '''green jersey''' (), which has become a metonym for the points classification competition.The system has inspired many other cycling races; the other two Grand Tours have also installed points classifications: the Vuelta a España since 1955, also using a green jersey, and the Giro d'Italia since 1966.
History After scandals in the 1904 Tour de France, the rules of the 1905 Tour de France were changed: the winner was no longer determined by the time system, but with the points system. The cyclists received points, equal to their ranking in the stage, and the cyclist with the fewest points was the leader of the race. After the 1912 Tour de France, the system was changed back to the time system that is still in use.In the 1953 Tour de France, to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Tour de France, the points system was reintroduced, but this time as an additional classification. Because the leader in the general classification wears a yellow jersey, the leader in the points classification also received a special jersey, a green jersey. The color green was chosen because the sponsor was a lawn mower producer, much as the yellow jersey was chosen to mirror the colour of the sponsoring newspaper from which it arose.In the first years, the cyclist only received penalty points for not finishing with a high place, so the cyclist with the fewest points was awarded the green jersey. From 1959 on, the system was changed so the cyclists were awarded points for high place finishes (with first place getting the most points, and lower placings getting successively fewer points), so the cyclist with the most points was awarded the green jersey.1968 is the only year the jersey was not green: for that edition of the race, the jersey was red to match a new sponsor.Whereas the yellow jersey is awarded for the lowest cumulative time in the race, the green jersey reflects points gained for high placings on each stage and intermediate "hot spots", especially during the flat stages of the Tour. The intermediate sprints were formerly for the intermediate sprints classification, with the points for the points classification a 'side-effect'; however, the intermediate sprints classification was later scrapped, but the intermediate sprints remained part of the points classification.The points classification is widely thought of as the "sprinter's competition", since the most points are scored in flat stages, in which the riders generally remain together in one large peloton, leaving the best sprinters at the end to fight for the stage win. However, to win the competition a rider will need a reasonable level of all-round skills as well as strong sprinting, since he will need to finish within the time limit on mountain stages to remain in contention, and ideally will be able to contest intermediate sprints during mountain stages as well. For example, Mario Cipollini was one of the best pure sprinters of his era but was never in contention for the points classification because he was unwilling to make it through the mountain stages and finish the race (however, he did finish the Giro d'Italia and won its points classification several times).On four occasions, the winner of the points classification was also the winner of the general classification: three times by Eddy Merckx, and once by Bernard Hinault.In 1969, Eddy Merckx won the general classification, the points classification and the mountains classification (the polka dot jersey was born in 1975), a unique performance in the Tour de France, but as he was leading the race, he cannot conceivably wear all jerseys, so while he wore the yellow jersey, the green-jersey is worn by the person who is second in the points classification standings.Peter Sagan set the record for the most stages in the lead of a Tour de France classification, wearing the green-jersey for 100 days through stage 18 of the 2018 Tour de France.Two winners of the points classification, Sean Kelly and Sam Bennett both hail from the town of Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland, a town with a population of only 5,771 residents.=== Sponsorship ===The jersey gained its green colour from its first sponsor, La Belle Jardinière, a French clothing store. The jersey was sponsored by French betting company Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) for nearly 25 years, with Czech car manufacturer Škoda becoming the current sponsor in 2015.=== Jerseys ranking ===The green jersey is the second most important jersey in the Tour de France, after the yellow jersey. If a rider is the leader in the general and points classifications he will wear the yellow jersey. The second rider in the points classification will wear the green jersey with some exceptions:* if the second rider ''leads'' another classification, he will wear the leader jersey (for example, if ''rider A'' is first in both the general classification and the points classification, and ''B rider'' is second the in points classification and first in the young rider classification, ''rider A'' will wear the yellow jersey and ''rider B'' will wear the white jersey);* if the second rider is world champion he will wear the rainbow jersey, and if the rider is a continental champion or national champion he will wear the corresponding jersey.In both cases, the third rider (or the following eligible rider) will wear the green jersey.
Points system ===Current===, the points classification is calculated by adding up the points collected in the stage and subtracting penalty points. Points are awarded for the first cyclists to cross the finish-line or the intermediate sprint line, and for the cyclists with the fastest times in the prologue or individual time trials, under the following scheme:+Current points classificationType1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15thImage:Plainstage.svg"flat" stage finish50302018161412108765432Image:Mediummountainstage.svg"hilly finish/medium mountain" stage finish30252219171513119765432Image:Mountainstage.svg"high mountain" stage finish20171513111098765432122pxindividual time trial201715131110987654321 intermediate sprint201715131110987654321Riders can lose points for various infractions to the rules, which means some riders finish the Tour with a negative points tally.Before the start of the Tour de France, the organization declares which stages are considered "flat", "medium mountain" or "high mountain". Flat stages typically have few or no categorized climbs (several 4th category and an occasional 3rd category), medium mountain stages have numerous climbs, typically 2nd and 3rd category, and high mountain stages have numerous large climbs, often 1st category or hors catégorie.When the order in which cyclists crossed the line cannot be determined or when cyclists score exactly the same time in the prologue/individual time trial, the cyclists divide the points (rounded up to the nearest 1/2 point). A cyclist that does not finish a stage is removed from the points classification. After every stage, the leader in the points classification is given a green jersey. In the event of a tie in the ranking, the cyclist with the most stage victories is the leader. If that is also a tie, the number of intermediate sprint victories indicates the leader. If that is also a tie, the general classification determines the leader. At the end of the Tour de France, the cyclist leading the points classification is the winner of the green jersey.===Historical===The rules have varied over the years. When the system started in 1953, the ranks of each cyclist in a stage were added, and the cyclist with the lowest number of points won. Later, points were given to the first few cyclists in each stage. Even later, the point system started to differentiate for stage type, typically assigning more points to flat stages. Intermediate sprints were also given points.In 2009, the system had evolved to the following, with either two or three intermediate sprints per stage:+Points classification in 2009Type1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25thImage:Plainstage.svg"flat" stage finish35302624222019181716151413121110987654321Image:Mediummountainstage.svg"medium mountain" stage finish252220181615141312111098765432Image:Mountainstage.svg"high mountain" stage finish2017151312109876543222pxprologue/individual time trial151210865432 intermediate sprint64Starting from the 2011 Tour de France, a system very similar to the current one was used:+Points classification in 2011Type1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15thImage:Plainstage.svg"flat" stage finish45353026222018161412108642Image:Mediummountainstage.svg"hilly finish/medium mountain" stage finish30252219171513119765432Image:Mountainstage.svg"high mountain" stage finish20171513111098765432122pxindividual time trial201715131110987654321 intermediate sprint201715131110987654321
Winners YearWinnerPointsSecond placePointsThird placePoints1953    271   307   4061954    215.5    284.5    286.51955    322    399    4091956    280    464   4651957    301    317   3661958    347    406    5531959    613    524    5031960    74    40    351961    174    169   1481962    173    144    1401963    275    138    1231964    208    199   1651965    144    130   1241966    211    189    1781967    154    119   1111968    241    219    2001969    244    149   1361970    212    207   1611971    202    186   1071972    196    135   1321973    187    168    1451974    283    270    1701975    342    240   1991976    293    140    1281977    236    140   1371978    242    189    1231979    253    157    1091980    194    153   1481981    428    222    1841982    429    152   1491983    360    144   1261984    322    318   2471985    434    332   2791986    277    232    2101987    263    247    2281988    278    193    1831989    277    194   1631990    256    221    1181991    316    263   1751992    293     262    2021993    298    157    1531994    322    273   2301995    333    271    1801996    335    284   2551997    350    223    1981998    327    230    2211999    323    275    1962000    321    203    1842001    252    244    1692002    280    261    2082003    216    214    1882004    272   247    2452005    194    182    1782006    288    199    1952007    256    234    2322008    270     220   2172009    280     270   1722010    243    232    2222011    334    272    2362012    421    280    2602013    409    312    2672014    431    282    2712015    432    366    2982016    470    228    1992017    370    234    2202018    477    246    2032019    316    248    2242020    380    284    2602021    337    291    2272022    480    286    2502023    377    258    203===Repeat winners===Peter Sagan is the most successful cyclist in the history of the points classification competition with seven green jerseys. Erik Zabel has the most podium finishes, with 12 (6 wins, 2 seconds and 4 thirds). Mark Cavendish has the largest gap between wins; 10 years separating his first and second green jerseys.WinsNameYears '''7'''  ''''''  2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 '''6'''     1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 '''4'''     1982, 1983, 1985, 1989 '''3'''    1964, 1965, 1967   1969, 1971, 1972   1976, 1978, 1981   1991, 1993, 1994   2002, 2004, 2006 '''2'''    1955, 1956   1958, 1960   1959, 1961   1992, 1995   2005, 2009   2011, 2021===By nationality===WinsCountryYears '''21'''    1955, 1956, 1963, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980,  1981,  1984,  1986,  1988,  2007, 2022, 2023 9    1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1977, 1979, 1992, 1995 8   1962, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 7    2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 5    2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2017  1982, 1983, 1985, 1989, 2020 4    1964, 1965, 1967, 1987 2    1953, 1954  1993, 1994  2005, 2009  1968, 2010  2011, 2021 1    1991  2008===Days in green jersey===''after the end of 2023 Tour de France''RiderTotal Peter Sagan130 Erik Zabel89 Freddy Maertens71 Sean Kelly68 Djamolidine Abdoujaparov54 André Darrigade51==== Riders leaders in all stages of an edition ==== André Darrigade 1959 (22 stages) Freddy Maertens 1976 (27 stages)Some riders wore the jersey in some stages as second in point classification (because the leader wore yellow jersey) and led all other stages: Freddy Maertens 1978 Eric Vanderaerden 1986 Peter Sagan 2019 Wout Van Aert 2022Sagan would have did the same in 2014 and in 2018 but in the first case he wore the white jersey as leader and in the second case he wore the rainbow jersey.
References
External links