Points Classification

The points classification (classement par points) is a secondary competition of the Tour de France that began in 1953, with points awarded for high stage finishes and for intermediate sprints. It is regarded as the sprinters' competition and its leader wears the green jersey (maillot vert), a name that has become shorthand for the classification itself. The idea spread to the other Grand Tours, the Vuelta from 1955 with a green jersey and the Giro from 1966, now with a mauve one. Peter Sagan is the most successful rider in its history with seven green jerseys; Erik Zabel won it six years running from 1996 to 2001. In 1968 the jersey was red for sponsorship reasons. The Tour's first points system, used from 1905 to 1912 after the 1904 scandals, was different: it decided the overall race itself.