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.

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 (known 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.

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.

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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.

It's possible to get a kids sized yellow jersey - and you can wear it every single day if you want! We can't prove it, but we do think it makes you ride faster when you're wearing one!

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 'maillot a pois rouges' in French.

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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 size King of the Mountains replica jersey for your next birthday (or before if you're really good!)

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.

Traditionally, the winner is the rider who at the end of Day 20 is in first place, with the final day being a processional ride for the winner and his teamates to ride into Paris and conclude the Tour de France in style. So their is no racing for the General Classification position (or winner) but there is still a race for the sprinters to be won!

The end of the Tour de France is marked by the famous sprint down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, and it is a great honour for a sprinter to win this final stage. However, for 2024 the race is finishing in Nice and not Paris due to the Olympics being held in Paris at the same time. So, breaking with tradition not only for the final day but also with the processional ride, the organisers have decided that the last day will be an individual time trial event. This means that the final day is a race day for the lead riders and so it is all to play for!

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.

Other articles you may be interested in:

• Kids Guide to Track Cycling at the Tokyo Velodrome 
• Kids Guide to Time Trial Cycle Racing at the Tokyo Olympics
• Kids Guide to BMX Racing and Free Style in the Tokyo Olympics
• Tour de France facts for kids; become an expert on the worlds greatest cycle race!
• Frog Bikes launch new Tour de France kids bikes
• MTB Works Trail Ready Jersey Review

This Kids Guide to Tour de France jersey colours was first published on 21st June 2013, and has been updated for the 2024 Tour de France.