The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift sees the very best cyclists in the world battle it out for the yellow, green, white and polka dot jerseys, based on the general, points, mountains and young rider classifications.
The jersey for each category is awarded to the leader of that classification at the end of every stage, and the recipient earns the right to wear it during the following day's racing. When a rider has the lead in multiple classifications, the yellow jersey is prioritised, then green, the polka dot, and white - the next person on the ranking wears the kit in the leader's stead.
Here we take a brief look at what they are and how they are won.
Tour de France Femmes yellow jersey - GC leader
Also called the maillot jaune, the Tour de France yellow jersey is the most coveted piece of kit in professional cycling. The wearer is the rider who has completed the race in the least amount of time, and as such tops the overall or general classification (GC) of the race.
Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) won the inaugural edition in 2022, before Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) beat her last season, stand on the top step in the Pyrenees. Vollering is by far the favourite to defend her title this year, and Van Vleuten has retired, but the Dutchwoman will be pushed by Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) among others.
The yellow jersey is sponsored by LCL, a French bank, and it is yellow, because the Tour's original organiser, L'Auto, was a newspaper printed on yellow paper.
Winners of the Tour de France Femmes general classification:
- 2022: Annemiek van Vleuten
- 2023: Demi Vollering
Tour de France Femmes green jersey - points classification
The green jersey relates to points awarded to riders according to the position they finish on each stage, with additional points for intermediate sprints during some stages also on offer.
The number of points on offer will vary depending upon the type of stage. More are on offer during pure flat, sprint days, while on hilly and mountain stages there are fewer points available. The points are then tallied up after each stage and added to points won in all previous stages. The green jersey (maillot vert) is awarded to the rider with the most points. Sometimes it is a sprinter's game, sometimes more of an all-rounder - like Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Vos is present this year, but the 2023 winner, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) isn't at the race.
The jersey took its colour because the initial sponsor was a lawn mower manufacturer - though the colour was changed once in 1968 to accommodate a sponsor. It is now sponsored by Škoda, and has a new shade for last year.
Winners of the Tour de France Femmes points classification:
- 2022: Marianne Vos
- 2023: Lotte Kopecky
Tour de France Femmes polka dot jersey - mountains classification
Mountains points are awarded to riders who manage to summit classified climbs first. Points vary depending on the category of each ascent, with more difficult climbs awarding more mountains points.
Climbs are divided into five categories: 1 (most difficult) to 4 (least difficult) - then there's the 'Hors Categorie', denoted by HC which represents the most challenging of ascents. The tougher the category, the more points on offer, and to more riders - a HC climb will see points awarded down to the first eight over the summit, while a fourth category climb results in points for just the first rider over the top.
The organisers decide which mountains or climbs will be included in the competition, and which category they fall into. If the stage features a summit finish, the points for the climb are doubled.
The points are tallied up after each stage and added to points won in all previous stages. The distinctive white-with-red-dots jersey (maillot à pois rouges) is given to the rider with the most mountains points. The first climber's award was given out in 1933, and the jersey arrived on the scene in 1975. It is now sponsored by Leclerc, a supermarket.
Points awarded as follows:
HC: 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2pts
1st cat: 10, 8, 6, 7, 5, 1pt
2nd cat: Five, three, two.
3rd cat: Two and one points
4th cat: One point
Winners of the Tour de France Femmes mountains classification:
- 2022: Demi Vollering
- 2023: Kasia Niewiadoma
Tour de France Femmes white jersey - best young rider
The plain white, young rider classification jersey is awarded to the fastest rider born after 1 January 2001, meaning 23 or under. It is sponsored by Liv, the bike brand
First introduced in the men's race in 1975, the idea is to help propel riders onto bigger and better things during their careers.
Winners of the Tour de France Femmes young rider classification:
- 2022: Shirin van Anrooij
- 2023: Cédrine Kerbaol
Other Tour de France classifications - team and combativity
There are two further classifications that do not earn the winner(s) a coloured jersey - the most aggressive rider award and Team Classification.
While not necessarily a classification, the Combativity Award is given to the rider who has shown the most fighting spirit during each individual stage, as chosen by the race jury. They will wear a gold race number during the following day's stage. A 'Super Combativity' award is handed out on the final stage for the most aggressive rider during the whole race.
The Team Classification is based on the collective time of the three highest-placed riders from each squad. Leaders of the team classification get to wear race numbers that are yellow with black digits, and the right to wear yellow helmets. The latter is not compulsory.
