| If you are a fan of road cycle racing you will already | | | | tally wears the green jersey. |
| know that you need to watch the colors of the | | | | So it is not as simple as keeping your eyes peeled |
| riders' cycling shirts very closely to find out who the | | | | for the yellow jersey when you watch televised |
| race leaders are. Even if you just watch cycling on | | | | cycling. There are several other colors available in the |
| the television occasionally, you will probably know as | | | | Tour de France, including the white jersey which is |
| a matter of general knowledge that in the Tour de | | | | for the young riders - currently for competitors under |
| France, the rider with the yellow jersey is the one | | | | 26 years old. It is important to remember that these |
| who is in the lead. | | | | cycling shirt classifications only apply to the Tour de |
| However, the one wearing the yellow cycling shirt is | | | | France, and the picture becomes slightly confusing if |
| not always the person to look out for across all | | | | you start watching a race and do not realise it is one |
| stages of the race. Some stages of the Tour de | | | | of the other main Tours. |
| France involve gruelling mountain ascents, and the | | | | There are three major races, together called The |
| leader in these types of race section has a jersey of | | | | Grand Tours, which include the Tour de France, the |
| his own. The mountain stage leader is often referred | | | | Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia. The Spanish |
| to as the King of the Mountains, and wears a white | | | | Vuelta awards similar jerseys to the French Tour; the |
| jersey with red polka dots. It is possible that the | | | | gold jersey for the overall leader and green jersey |
| mountain experts are not great at sprint racing and | | | | for the points leader. However, the King of the |
| other sections of the overall Tour, so despite being | | | | Mountains in Spain wears red rather than polka dots. |
| leaders in the tough hillside climbs, they generally will | | | | In the Italian Giro, the cycling shirts system is entirely |
| not threaten to overtake the yellow jersey holder. | | | | different, with the overall race leader taking the pink |
| Many stages of the French Tour - and of other | | | | jersey, while the points leader wears red and King of |
| major cycle races - are designed for sprinting, and | | | | the Mountains has the green, confusingly opposite to |
| the first riders to complete these sprints are | | | | the awards in the Vuelta! |
| awarded points, according to their position in that | | | | Does a yellow cycling shirt always make you a winner |
| section. Getting points is the goal in personal and | | | | then? Perhaps. It depends which race you are |
| team time trials, but these points are also awarded | | | | watching, but hopefully you will now be armed with |
| for the first riders past the finishing line in all other | | | | the secret information you need, to understand |
| stages. The mountain stages award less points, as | | | | whose progress you should be concentrating on next |
| the climbing specialists often win these. The riders' | | | | time you sit down to an evening of cycling on TV. |
| points are added up, and the rider with the highest | | | | |