General Classification

The general classification is the most important ranking of the Tour de France and decides the winner of the race; since 1919 its leader has worn the yellow jersey. The first two Tours ranked riders on cumulative time, with the leader wearing a green armband; after the 1904 race the classification switched to points, a system kept until 1912, after which it returned to time. The official history has Eugène Christophe wearing the first yellow jersey on the Grenoble-Geneva stage of 19 July 1919, though Philippe Thys said he had been offered one by Henri Desgrange in 1913. Crédit Lyonnais has sponsored the jersey since 1987.