Mountains classification in the Tour de France facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

"Polka dot jersey" redirects here. For the jersey awarded in the Vuelta a España, see Mountains classification in the Vuelta a España.

Quick facts for kids Polka dot jersey
The 2013 polka dot jersey, worn by Pierre Rolland
Sport	Road bicycle racing
Competition	Tour de France
Given for	Best climber
Local name	Maillot à pois rouges (French)
History
First award	1933 (jersey since 1975)
Editions	82 (as of 2021)
First winner	Vicente Trueba (ESP)
Most wins	Richard Virenque (FRA) 7 wins
Most recent	Giulio Ciccone (ITA)

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 (French: maillot à pois rouges), a white jersey with red polka dots.

History
- Sponsorship
- Jerseys ranking
Current situation
- Distribution of points
Criticism of the system
Winners
See also

History

Ide Schelling in the 2021 polka dot jersey

The first Tour de France crossed no mountain passes, but several lesser cols. The first was the col des Echarmeaux (712 m (2,336 ft)), on the opening stage from Paris to Lyon, on what is now the old road from Autun to Lyon. The stage from Lyon to Marseille included the col de la République (1,161 m (3,809 ft)), also known as the col du Grand Bois, at the edge of St-Etienne. The first major climb—the Ballon d'Alsace (1,178 m (3,865 ft)) in the Vosges — was featured in the 1905 race.

True mountains were not included until the Pyrenees in 1910. In that year the race rode, or more walked, first the col d'Aubisque and then the nearby Tourmalet. Both climbs were mule tracks, a demanding challenge on heavy, ungeared bikes ridden by men with spare tires around their shoulders and their food, clothing and tools in bags hung from their handlebars. The assistant organiser, Victor Breyer, stood at the summit of the Aubisque with the colleague who had proposed including the Pyrenees, Alphonse Steinès. The tour organiser, Henri Desgrange was confident enough after the Pyrenees to include the Alps in 1911.

The highest climb in the race was the Cime de la Bonette-Restefond in the 1962 Tour de France, reaching 2802 m. The highest mountain finish in the Tour was at the Col du Galibier in the 2011 edition.

Since 1905, the organising newspaper l'Auto named one cyclist of the Tour de France the meilleur grimpeur (best climber). In 1933, Vicente Trueba was the winner of this classification. In order to recognize climbers, the Tour de France director, Henri Desgrange, decided that cyclists should receive a bonus for reaching the tops first. From 1934 on, the gap between the first and the second cyclist to reach the top was given as a time bonus to the one reaching the top first. These time bonuses were later removed, but the King of the Mountain recognition remained. Although the best climber was first recognised in 1933, the distinctive jersey was not introduced until 1975, as the sponsor, Chocolat Poulain, wanted to enhance the visibility of the jersey in the peloton. The Tour's organizer Félix Lévitan decided to use the jersey used by the cyclist Henri Lemoine as a tribute to him. As a consequence, the sponsor, Chocolat Poulain, decided to change its wrappings of chocolate bars and covered them in a polka dot wrapper.

The first rider to ever wear the Polka Dot Jersey, during the 1975 Tour de France, was Joop Zoetemelk, and while he never won the King of the Mountains competition in the Tour De France he is considered to be one of the greatest climbers in Tour de France history. Zoetemelk did win the mountains classification in the 1971 Vuelta a España, as well as the general classification in the 1979 Vuelta a España and the 1980 Tour de France.

Sponsorship

The polka dots originate from sponsor Chocolat Poulain. Between 1993 and 2018, the jersey was sponsored by Carrefour supermarkets, initially under the Champion brand, and later under the main Carrefour brand from the 2009 edition of the Tour. Since 2019, the jersey is sponsored by E.Leclerc supermarkets.

Jerseys ranking

The polka dot jersey is the third most important jersey in the Tour de France, third to yellow and green jerseys. If a rider is the leader in the general and/or points classifications and in the mountain classification he will wear the yellow or green jersey. The second rider (or the following eligible rider) in the mountain classification will wear polka dot jersey with some exceptions:

If the second rider also leads the young rider classification, he will wear the white jersey (for example if rider A is first in both the general and mountain classification and rider B is second in the mountain classification but also the leader in young rider classification, then rider A will wear wear the yellow jersey and rider B will wear the white jersey);
If the second rider is world champion he will wear the rainbow jersey. If the rider is a continental champion or national champion he will wear the corresponding jersey;

In both case the third rider (or the following eligible rider) will be in polka dot jersey.

Current situation

At the top of many climbs in the Tour, there are points for the riders who are first over the top. The climbs are divided into categories from 1 (most difficult) to 4 (least difficult) based on their difficulty, measured as a function of their steepness, length, location within the stage (near the start or end), and location in the overall race (early in the race or toward the end). A few of the toughest climbs were originally given different individual points scales, and were thus listed as "uncategorised" (Hors catégorie, a term that has since passed into the French language to refer to any exceptional phenomenon); however, since the 1980s, the hors catégorie climbs have been merged into the single scale and have effectively become, despite the name, just a top category above category 1. In 2004, the scoring system was changed such that the first rider over a fourth category climb would be awarded 3 points while the first to complete a hors catégorie climb would be awarded 20 points. Further points over a fourth category climb are only for the top three places while on a hors catégorie climb the top ten riders are rewarded. From 2004 to 2021, points scored on the final climb of the day were doubled where that climb was at least a second category climb. In 2022 and 2023, mountain-top finishes were worth the same number of points as any other climb.

Distribution of points

The points gained by consecutive riders reaching a mountain top are distributed according to the following classification:

Point distribution grid as of 2020
Pos.	4C	3C	2C	1C	HC
1st	1	2	5	10	20
2nd		1	3	8	15
3rd			2	6	12
4th			1	4	10
5th				2	8
6th				1	6
7th					4
8th					2

For 2020, "Double points will be awarded at the top of passes or at the finish of stage 17 at Méribel Col de la Loze, the highest peak in the 2020 Tour (2,304 masl)". The organisation of the race determines which mountains are included for the mountains classification and in which category they are.

If two riders have an equal number of points, the rider with the most first places on the hors catégorie cols, is declared winner. If the riders arrived first an equal number of times, the first places on the 1st category cols are compared. Should the two riders again have an equal number of first arrivals in this category, the organization looks at mutual results in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th category, until a winner is found. If the number of first arrivals in all categories is equal for both riders, the rider with the highest position in the overall list of rankings receives the mountain jersey.

Up until 2011 the points that are gained by climbing the mountains were distributed according to the following classification:

Hors Catégorie climbs: 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6 and 5 points respectively for the 1st to the 10th rider to climb the mountain
First category climbs: 15, 13, 11, 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5 points respectively for the 1st to the 8th rider to climb the mountain
Second category climbs: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5 points respectively for the 1st to the 6th rider to climb the mountain
Third category climbs and hills: 4, 3, 2 and 1 point, respectively for the 1st to the 4th rider to climb the hill
Fourth category climbs and hills: 3, 2, and 1 point, respectively for the 1st to the 3rd rider to climb the hill.

Criticism of the system

The system has faced criticism. Six-time winner Lucien Van Impe said in 2010 that the mountain jersey has been devalued, because it goes to cyclists who have no hope of winning the general classification and are therefore allowed to escape and gather points in breakaways by the general classification contenders. According to Van Impe, focusing on the mountain classification was started by cyclists such as Laurent Jalabert and Richard Virenque, but compared to modern mountain classification specialists, "they could really climb, and they could win sprints on hors category climbs or even win the stage". However, in 2020, 2021, and 2022, the mountain classification winner also won the general classification.

Winners

Meilleurs grimpeurs (top climbers)

This list shows the cyclists who were chosen meilleur grimpeur by the newspaper L'Auto. Although L'Auto was organising the Tour de France, the meilleur grimpeur title was not given by the tour organisation, so it is unofficial. However, it is a direct predecessor of the later King of the Mountains title.

		Rider	Team
1905		Pottier, ReneRené Pottier
1906		Pottier, ReneRené Pottier
1907		Georget, EmileEmile Georget
1908		Garrigou, GustaveGustave Garrigou
1909		Faber, FrancoisFrançois Faber
1910		Lapize, OctaveOctave Lapize
1911		Duboc, PaulPaul Duboc
1912		Defraeye, OdielOdiel Defraeye
1913		Thys, PhilippePhilippe Thys
1914		Lambot, FirminFirmin Lambot
1919		Barthelemy, HonoreHonoré Barthélemy
1920		Lambot, FirminFirmin Lambot
1921		Heusghem, HectorHector Heusghem
1922		Alavoine, JeanJean Alavoine
1923		Pelissier, HenriHenri Pélissier
1924		Bottecchia, OttavioOttavio Bottecchia
1925		Bottecchia, OttavioOttavio Bottecchia
1926		Buysse, LucienLucien Buysse
1927		Gordini, Giovanni-MicheleGiovanni-Michele Gordini
1928		Fontan, VictorVictor Fontan
1929		Fontan, VictorVictor Fontan
1930		Faure, BenoitBenoît Fauré
1931		Demuysere, JosephJoseph Demuysere
1932		Trueba, VicenteVicente Trueba

Mountains classification

	Rider
1933	Trueba, VicenteVicente Trueba	Touriste-routier
1934	Vietto, ReneRené Vietto	France
1935	Vervaecke, FelicienFélicien Vervaecke	Belgium
1936	Berrendero, JuliánJulián Berrendero	Spain–Luxembourg
1937	Vervaecke, FelicienFélicien Vervaecke	Belgium
1938	Bartali, GinoGino Bartali	Italy
1939	Maes, SylvèreSylvère Maes	Belgium
1947	Brambilla, PierrePierre Brambilla	Italy
1948	Bartali, GinoGino Bartali	Italy
1949	Coppi, FaustoFausto Coppi	Italy
1950	Bobet, LouisonLouison Bobet	France
1951	Geminiani, RaphaelRaphaël Géminiani	France
1952	Coppi, FaustoFausto Coppi	Italy
1953	Loroño, JesusJesús Loroño	Spain
1954	Bahamontes, FedericoFederico Bahamontes	Spain
1955	Gaul, CharlyCharly Gaul	Luxembourg–Mixed
1956	Gaul, CharlyCharly Gaul	Luxembourg–Mixed
1957	Nencini, GastoneGastone Nencini	Italy
1958	Bahamontes, FedericoFederico Bahamontes	Spain
1959	Bahamontes, FedericoFederico Bahamontes	Spain
1960	Massignan, ImerioImerio Massignan	Italy
1961	Massignan, ImerioImerio Massignan	Italy
1962	Bahamontes, FedericoFederico Bahamontes	Margnat–Paloma–D'Alessandro
1963	Bahamontes, FedericoFederico Bahamontes	Margnat–Paloma–Dunlop
1964	Bahamontes, FedericoFederico Bahamontes	Margnat–Paloma–Dunlop
1965	Jimenez, JulioJulio Jimenez	Kas–Kaskol
1966	Jimenez, JulioJulio Jimenez	Ford France–Hutchinson
1967	Jimenez, JulioJulio Jimenez	Spain
1968	Gonzalez, AurelioAurelio Gonzalez	Spain
1969	Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx	Faema
1970	Merckx, EddyEddy Merckx	Faemino–Faema
1971	Van Impe, LucienLucien Van Impe	Sonolor–Lejeune
1972	Van Impe, LucienLucien Van Impe	Sonolor–Lejeune
1973	Torres, PedroPedro Torres	La Casera–Peña Bahamontes
1974	Perurena, DomingoDomingo Perurena	Kas–Kaskol
1975	Van Impe, LucienLucien Van Impe	Gitane–Campagnolo
1976	Bellini, GiancarloGiancarlo Bellini	Brooklyn
1977	Van Impe, LucienLucien Van Impe	Lejeune–BP
1978	Martinez, MarianoMariano Martínez	Jobo–Spidel–La Roue d'Or
1979	Battaglin, GiovanniGiovanni Battaglin	Inoxpran
1980	Martin, RaymondRaymond Martin	Miko–Mercier–Vivagel
1981	Van Impe, LucienLucien Van Impe	Boston–Mavic
1982	Vallet, BernardBernard Vallet	La Redoute–Motobécane
1983	Van Impe, LucienLucien Van Impe	Metauro Mobili–Pinarello
1984	Millar, RobertRobert Millar	Peugeot–Shell–Michelin
1985	Herrera, LuisLuis Herrera	Varta–Café de Colombia–Mavic
1986	Hinault, BernardBernard Hinault	La Vie Claire
1987	Herrera, LuisLuis Herrera	Café de Colombia–Varta
1988	Rooks, StevenSteven Rooks	PDM–Ultima–Concorde
1989	Theunisse, Gert-JanGert-Jan Theunisse	PDM–Ultima–Concorde
1990	Claveyrolat, ThierryThierry Claveyrolat	RMO
1991	Chiappucci, ClaudioClaudio Chiappucci	Carrera Jeans–Tassoni
1992	Chiappucci, ClaudioClaudio Chiappucci	Carrera Jeans–Vagabond
1993	Rominger, TonyTony Rominger	CLAS–Cajastur
1994	Virenque, RichardRichard Virenque	Festina–Lotus
1995	Virenque, RichardRichard Virenque	Festina–Lotus
1996	Virenque, RichardRichard Virenque	Festina–Lotus
1997	Virenque, RichardRichard Virenque	Festina–Lotus
1998	Rinero, ChristopheChristophe Rinero	Cofidis
1999	Virenque, RichardRichard Virenque	Team Polti
2000	Botero, SantiagoSantiago Botero	Kelme–Costa Blanca
2001	Jalabert, LaurentLaurent Jalabert	CSC–Tiscali
2002	Jalabert, LaurentLaurent Jalabert	CSC–Tiscali
2003	Virenque, RichardRichard Virenque	Quick-Step–Davitamon
2004	Virenque, RichardRichard Virenque	Quick-Step–Davitamon
2005	Rasmussen, MichaelMichael Rasmussen	Rabobank
2006	Rasmussen, MichaelMichael Rasmussen	Rabobank
2007	Soler, MauricioMauricio Soler	Barloworld
2008	~~Kohl, BernhardBernhard Kohl~~ Sastre, CarlosCarlos Sastre	CSC–Saxo Bank
2009	~~Pellizotti, FrancoFranco Pellizotti~~ Martínez, EgoiEgoi Martínez	Euskaltel–Euskadi
2010	Charteau, AnthonyAnthony Charteau	Bbox Bouygues Telecom
2011	Sánchez, SamuelSamuel Sánchez	Euskaltel–Euskadi
2012	Voeckler, ThomasThomas Voeckler	Team Europcar
2013	Quintana, NairoNairo Quintana	Movistar Team
2014	Majka, RafałRafał Majka	Tinkoff–Saxo
2015	Froome, ChrisChris Froome	Team Sky
2016	Majka, RafałRafał Majka	Tinkoff
2017	Barguil, WarrenWarren Barguil	Team Sunweb
2018	Alaphilippe, JulianJulian Alaphilippe	Quick-Step Floors
2019	Bardet, RomainRomain Bardet	AG2R La Mondiale
2020	Pogačar, TadejTadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates
2021	Pogačar, TadejTadej Pogačar	UAE Team Emirates
2022	Vingegaard, JonasJonas Vingegaard	Team Jumbo–Visma
2023	Ciccone, GiulioGiulio Ciccone	Lidl–Trek

Repeat winners

Rank	Name	Country	Wins	Years
1	Richard Virenque	France	7	1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2004
2	Federico Bahamontes	Spain	6	1954, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964
2	Lucien Van Impe	Belgium	6	1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1983
4	Julio Jiménez	Spain	3	1965, 1966, 1967
5	Felicien Vervaecke	Belgium	2	1935, 1937
	Gino Bartali	Italy		1938, 1948
	Fausto Coppi	Italy		1949, 1952
	Charly Gaul	Luxembourg		1955, 1956
	Imerio Massignan	Italy		1960, 1961
	Eddy Merckx	Belgium		1969, 1970
	Luis Herrera	Colombia		1985, 1987
	Claudio Chiappucci	Italy		1991, 1992
	Laurent Jalabert	France		2001, 2002
	Michael Rasmussen	Denmark		2005, 2006
	Rafał Majka	Poland		2014, 2016
	Tadej Pogačar	Slovenia		2020, 2021

By nationality

Rank	Country	Wins	Riders winning most	Most recent winner
1	France	23	Richard Virenque (7)	Romain Bardet (2019)
2	Spain	18	Federico Bahamontes (6)	Samuel Sánchez (2011)
3	Italy	13	Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Imerio Massignan, Claudio Chiappucci (2 each)	Giulio Ciccone (2023)
4	Belgium	11	Lucien Van Impe (6)	Lucien Van Impe (1983)
5	Colombia	5	Luis Herrera (2)	Nairo Quintana (2013)
6	Denmark	3	Michael Rasmussen (2)	Jonas Vingegaard (2022)
7	Luxembourg	2	Charly Gaul (2)	Charly Gaul (1956)
	Netherlands		Steven Rooks, Gert-Jan Theunisse	Gert-Jan Theunisse (1989)
	United Kingdom		Robert Millar, Chris Froome	Chris Froome (2015)
	Poland		Rafał Majka (2)	Rafał Majka (2016)
	Slovenia		Tadej Pogačar (2)	Tadej Pogačar (2021)
12	Switzerland	1	Tony Rominger	Tony Rominger (1993)

Winners of the general and mountain classification in the same year

Some cyclists have won both the general classification and the mountains classification in the same year. In the early years of the Tour, only the highest mountains gave points. Cyclists aiming for the Tour win generally did well on those mountains, so the riders high in the general classification were typically also high in the mountains classification, which made the double more likely. Later, the rules of the mountains classification changed, giving more points to mountains of lower category. The cyclists aiming to win the general classification did not spend energy on those lower category mountains, and thus other cyclists could aim for the mountains classification win. In 1969, Eddy Merckx won not only the general classification and the mountains classification, but also the points classification.

The general classification and the mountain classification were won by the same rider twelve times, by eight different cyclists:

Days in polka dot jersey

after the end of 2023 Tour de France

The classification existed since 1933. The polka dot jersey was issued since the 1975.

Rider	After 1975	Total since 1933
Richard Virenque	96	96
Lucien Van Impe	74	94
Federico Bahamontes	0	77
Julio Jimenez	0	43
Eddy Merckx	0	40
Domingo Perurena	0	30
Gino Bartali	0	30
Claudio Chiappucci	27	27
Michael Rasmussen	27	27
Félicien Vervaecke	0	27
Luis Herrera	26	26

Riders leaders in all stages of an edition

Before 1975

In some editions the Mountain Classification, without a distinctive jersey, was not compiled in the first stages (no points awarded in the first stages). Some riders led for all the stages after the first points were awarded:

Félicien Vervaecke 1935 (first stage awarding points: 4th stage)

Gino Bartali 1938 (first stage awarding points: 8th stage)

Fausto Coppi 1949 (first stage awarding points: 11th stage)

Federico Bahamontes 1954 (first stage awarding points: 11th stage)

Federico Bahamontes 1958 (first stage awarding points: 13th stage)

Federico Bahamontes 1963 (first stage awarding points: 10th stage)

After 1975

No riders wore the jersey in all stages of a single edition. Lucien Van Impe in 1977 wore it in most stages in a single edition: 25 of the 28 stages (but the jersey was not issued in the prologue). Bernard Vallet in 1982 lead the classification in all 21 numbered stages but not after the prologue.