The Race Itself

A deck by Sage Sinclair · 14 cards

The Tour, its jerseys, classifications, and origins.

Team classification in the Tour de France

The team classification is a prize given in the Tour de France to the best team in the race. It has been awarded since 1930, and the calculation has changed throughout the years. There is no coloured jersey for this, but the numbers on the jerseys of the members of the team with the best performance in the general classification at the end of the previous stage are against a yellow background instead of white.

Points classification in the Tour de France

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.

Young rider classification in the Tour de France

The young rider classification is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1975. Excluding the years 1989 to 1999, the leader of the young rider classification wears a white jersey. It goes to whichever eligible rider has the best time in the general classification.

General classification in the Tour de France

The general classification of the Tour de France is the most important classification of the race and determines the winner of the race. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification has worn the yellow jersey.

Félix Lévitan

Félix Lévitan, was a sports journalist and the third organiser of the Tour de France a role he shared for much of the time with Jacques Goddet. Lévitan is credited with looking after the financial side of the Tour while Goddet concentrated on the sporting aspect, but in the end Lévitan was fired while Goddet simply retired.

Combativity award

The combativity award is a prize given in road bicycle racing to a stage's or the overall race's most aggressive rider. Usually this award is given by the race organizers special jury, to the rider who shows the consistency and effort in attacks, most time spent in breakaway, and positive sportsmanship, among others.

Tour de France

The Tour de France is an annual men's multiple-stage road cycling race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.

Yellow jersey statistics

Since the first Tour de France in 1903, there have been 2,289 stages, up to and including the final stage of the 2025 Tour de France. Since 1919, the race leader following each stage has been awarded the yellow jersey.

Amaury Sport Organisation

The Amaury Sport Organisation is a private company, founded in 1992, that is part of the privately owned French media group Éditions Philippe Amaury (EPA). ASO organises the Tour de France and other cycling races, as well as golf, running, sailing and off-road motorsport events over 250 days of competition per year, with 90 events in 30 countries. The president of ASO is Jean-Etienne Amaury, the son of Philippe Amaury and Marie-Odile Amaury, and grandson of EPA founder, Émilien Amaury.

Henri Desgrange

Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set twelve world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres (21.950 mi) on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.

Jacques Goddet

Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France road cycling race from 1936 to 1986.

Christian Prudhomme

Christian Prudhomme is a French journalist and general director of the Tour de France since 2007.

L'Équipe

L'Équipe (French: [lekip] ; is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor, L'Auto, was founded by wealthy conservative industrialists to undermine Le Vélo, which they found too progressive. It was a general sports paper that also covered the auto racing which was gaining popularity at the turn of the twentieth century.

Mountains classification in the Tour de France

The mountains classification is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1933. It is given to the rider that gains the most points for reaching mountain summits first. The leader of the classification is named the King of the Mountains, and since 1975 wears the polka dot jersey, a white jersey with red polka dots.