What Do Cycling Jersey Colors Mean? Yellow, Green, Polka Dot and the Rainbow Jersey Explained
Cycling jersey colors show who is leading a classification. In the Tour de France, yellow is the overall leader, green leads the points (sprinters') competition, white with red polka dots is the best climber, and white is the best young rider. The rainbow jersey, white with five colored bands, is worn by the reigning world champion.
In short
- Yellow: the overall Tour de France leader, the rider with the lowest total time. Worn since 1919.
- Green: the points leader, usually a sprinter. Since 1953.
- Polka dot: the best climber, in this jersey since 1975. White: the best young rider, also since 1975.
- Rainbow: the reigning UCI world champion, worn for a year in the discipline they won.
What do the Tour de France jersey colors mean?
The Tour de France awards four leader's jerseys. After each stage, the rider leading each classification pulls on that jersey for the next day. Whoever holds it after the final stage in Paris wins that competition.
| Jersey | French name | Who wears it | How it is won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Maillot jaune | Overall race leader | Lowest total time across all stages |
| Green | Maillot vert | Points leader, usually a sprinter | Points for high finishes on stages and at intermediate sprints |
| White with red polka dots | Maillot à pois | King of the Mountains, the best climber | Points for reaching the top of categorized climbs first |
| White | Maillot blanc | Best young rider | Lowest total time among riders aged 25 or under |
If one rider leads two classifications, they wear the more important jersey and the second-placed rider in the other competition wears that one.
Why is the Tour de France leader's jersey yellow?
The yellow jersey dates from 1919. The usual explanation is that the Tour's organizer, the newspaper L'Auto, was printed on yellow paper, so the leader wore the paper's color. Some historians add a more practical reason: yellow was the color a supplier could produce at short notice. More than a century later, "wearing yellow" still means leading the Tour.
Our Tour de France Yellow Leaders jersey takes that color for group rides, no stage win required.
What does the green jersey mean in cycling?
The green jersey goes to the leader of the points classification, added to the Tour in 1953. Riders earn points for finishing high on a stage and for crossing intermediate sprint lines first. Flat stages give the most points, so the green jersey usually ends up with a sprinter who is fast at the finish and consistent across three weeks.
See our Green Sprinters jersey if the final 200 meters are your favorite part of a ride.
What does the polka dot jersey mean?
The white jersey with red polka dots belongs to the King of the Mountains, the best climber in the race. Riders score points for reaching the top of categorized climbs first, with more points for the hardest climbs. The Tour has crowned a best climber since 1933, and the polka dot design arrived in 1975.
It is the most recognizable jersey in cycling after yellow, and a favorite on club rides that include a long hill. Our King of the Mountains polka dot jersey comes in men's and women's cuts.
What does the white jersey mean in the Tour de France?
The white jersey goes to the best young rider, the fastest rider overall among those aged 25 or under. It was introduced in 1975, the same year as the polka dot jersey. Several riders have won white and later gone on to win yellow, so it is often read as a pointer to future champions. Our Young Rider white jersey completes the set of four.
What is the rainbow jersey in cycling?
The rainbow jersey is worn by the reigning world champion. It is white with five horizontal bands across the chest, in blue, red, black, yellow and green from top to bottom, the same colors as the Olympic rings. The UCI, cycling's world governing body, awards it at the World Championships each year, a tradition that dates back to 1927.
Each discipline has its own: road race, time trial, track events, mountain bike, cyclocross and more. The champion wears the rainbow jersey for a full year, but only in races of the discipline they won. A road race champion races road races in rainbow stripes, and a time trial champion wears them in time trials.
After that year, former world champions keep a small honor for life: rainbow bands on the collar and sleeve cuffs of their team jersey.
If you like the stripes, our Peugeot BP Michelin Retro Classic jersey puts the world champion striped design on a classic team look from the Peugeot era.
Why did searches for the rainbow jersey jump?
Interest peaks around the World Championships, which take place in late September. When a new champion pulls on the stripes, a lot of casual fans see the jersey for the first time and ask what it means.
What is the "curse of the rainbow jersey"?
It is cycling folklore, the idea that world champions have a bad year in the stripes. Riders and fans joke about it, but it is superstition. Champions are marked men and women in every race, which goes a long way toward explaining any slump.
What do other cycling jersey colors mean?
The Tour is not the only race with colored jerseys. These are the ones you are most likely to see:
| Jersey | Race or title | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Pink (maglia rosa) | Giro d'Italia | Overall leader, since 1931. Pink matches the pages of La Gazzetta dello Sport, the newspaper behind the race |
| Red | Vuelta a España | Overall leader, red since 2010 |
| Rainbow bands | UCI World Championships | Reigning world champion in that discipline |
| National colors | National championships | Reigning national champion, worn for a year in that discipline |
What is the lanterne rouge?
The lanterne rouge, or red lantern, is the rider in last place overall at the Tour de France. There is no jersey for it. The name comes from the red lamp that hung on the last car of a train. Finishing the Tour at all is hard, so the last rider into Paris gets a certain affection. Our Lanterne Rouge jersey is for every rider who finishes at the back and still finishes.
Can you wear a yellow or polka dot jersey on a group ride?
Yes. Tribute designs are part of cycling culture, and most riders take a yellow or polka dot jersey on a Saturday ride as a nod to the Tour. The one jersey some riders feel strongly about is a plain rainbow jersey, since it marks a title only a world champion has won.
Our Tour de France Collection has all four leader's jersey designs, plus kits, bibs and caps that combine them.
Tour de France designs
Frequently asked questions
Who gets the yellow jersey in the Tour de France?
The rider with the lowest total time after each stage wears the yellow jersey the next day. The rider who holds it after the final stage wins the Tour.
What is the difference between the green and polka dot jerseys?
The green jersey rewards consistent high finishes and intermediate sprints, so sprinters usually win it. The polka dot jersey rewards climbing, with points at the top of categorized climbs.
What are the five colors of the rainbow jersey?
Blue, red, black, yellow and green, in horizontal bands on a white jersey. They match the colors of the Olympic rings.
How long does a world champion wear the rainbow jersey?
For one year, until the next World Championships in that discipline. After that, they can wear rainbow bands on their collar and cuffs for the rest of their career.
What color jersey does the Giro d'Italia leader wear?
Pink. The maglia rosa has marked the Giro leader since 1931.
Does the last rider in the Tour de France get a jersey?
No. The last rider overall is called the lanterne rouge, after the red lamp at the back of a train, but there is no jersey for the position.
Sources
- Le Tour de France, official site
- UCI, cycling's world governing body
- Wikipedia: General classification in the Tour de France
- Wikipedia: Points classification in the Tour de France
- Wikipedia: Mountains classification in the Tour de France
- Wikipedia: Young rider classification in the Tour de France
- Wikipedia: Rainbow jersey
- Wikipedia: Giro d'Italia
- Wikipedia: Red jersey
- Wikipedia: Lanterne rouge
