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The yellow jersey
The leader in the overall standings of the Tour de France receives the Yellow jersey, also known as the maillot jaune. This is awarded to the rider who has achieved the lowest overall time, taking into account time credits and time penalties.
The time credits
On all stages, with the exception of the time trials on stages 5 and 13, time credits are awarded at the finish. The first three riders will receive 10, 6 and 4 seconds respectively. The bonus sprints, which took place at important race points in previous editions, have been cancelled this year.
If two riders have the same overall time, the hundredths of a second from the time trials are taken into account first to decide the winner. If there is still a tie, the rankings at the end of each stage of the Tour de France are added together; the rider with the lower total wins. If there is still no clear winner after this, then the position at the finish of the last stage decides.
Three-kilometre rule
This rule protects riders who crash or suffer a technical defect in the last three kilometres. However, it does not apply to stages that end with a mountain finish (such as stages 12, 14, 16, 18 and 19) or to the time trials (stages 5 and 13). These riders will receive the same time as the group they were in at the time of the incident.
The green jersey
The points leader at the Tour de France wears the green jersey - but this does not necessarily mean the fastest sprinter.
The points classification at the Tour de France
The first 15 riders at the stage finish and the intermediate sprint each receive points. Depending on the type and difficulty of the stage, each stage is given a coefficient of 1 to 6. This means that the number of points available at the stage finish varies. Traditionally, and due to the punctual distribution that favours flat stage victories, the winner of this classification is known as the best sprinter of the Tour.
The distribution of points for the green jersey on the stages of the Tour de France 2025
On stages 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15, 17 and 21, which have a coefficient of 1 or 2, there are 50-30-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-7-6-5- 4-3-2 points for the first 15 riders at the finish.
On stages 6, 16 and 20, which have a coefficient of 3, there are 30-25-22-19-17-15-13-11-9-7-6-5-4-3-2 points for the first 15 riders at the finish.
On stages 10, 12, 14, 18 and 19, which have a coefficient of 4 and 5, there are 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points for the first 15 riders at the finish.
In the individual time trials (stages 5 and 13), which have a coefficient of 6, there are 20-17-15-13-11-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 at the finish for the top 15 of the stage.
Intermediate sprints
There will be an intermediate sprint on every stage of the Tour de France 2025 (except for the individual time trials). The first 15 riders at the intermediate sprint will receive points for the green jersey - the points key: 20-17-15-13-11-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
The mountain jersey
The jersey with the red dots on a white background (also known as the Dotted jersey) is awarded to the rider who has collected the most points in the mountain classifications.
The climbs in the Tour de France are divided into categories based on length, difficulty and sporting importance - from the highest category HC (Hors Categorie or category of honour) to the 4th category. Points are awarded depending on the category - the categorisation is as follows:
Hors Categorie: 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 points for the first eight drivers
1st category: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 point for the first six riders
2nd category: 5, 3, 2, 1 point for the first four drivers
3rd category: 2, 1 point for the first two riders
4th category: 1 point for the first driver
On the summit of the Col de la Loze (stage 18), a mountain in the HC category and at 2304 metres the roof of the Tour de France 2025, the points are doubled. The first to reach the summit will receive 40 points.
Where the individual mountain classifications are located on the stages, see the profiles in our stage overview.
The white jersey
The White jersey is awarded to the best-placed young professional in the overall standings of the Tour de France. All riders born on or after 1 January 2000 fall into this category in 2025.
The team ranking
The team that leads the team classification wears yellow start numbers. The times of the best three riders of a team per day are added together to determine the team classification.
Most combative driver
The rider who is considered the most combative in the previous stage wears two gold back numbers. Previously, the rider received a red back number. On all mass start stages, with the exception of the final stage, a jury headed by the race director awards the Prix de la combativité. In Paris, the most combative rider of the Tour (super-combatif) is honoured.
The jersey ranking
If a rider leads in several classifications, yellow is to be worn before green, followed by the dotted jersey and the white jersey. The next rider in the respective classification then wears the jersey as a substitute.
The time limit (grace period)
The maximum time gap that a rider can have at the finish of a stage compared to the winner of the day is known as the time limit or grace time. This value depends on the coefficient of the stage, which is based on the length, difficulty and speed of the winner. A percentage mark-up on the winning time determines how much additional time is granted to the stragglers; if they exceed this limit, they risk disqualification.
The coefficients of the stages of the Tour de France 2025
Example for calculating the waiting period
An example calculation will illustrate the whole thing. Let's assume that the difficult 19th stage of the Tour de France 2025 to La Plagne is ridden by the winner at an average speed of 34 km/h in 3 hours and 49 minutes (i.e. 229 minutes). Coefficient 5 is specified for the stage, which states that at an average speed of 34 km/h, a rider receives 16 per cent of the winning time as a grace period. The value of 16 per cent is fixed by the organiser in the regulations (see illustration).
In our case, at 16 per cent of 229 minutes, that would be just under 37 minutes, which would be the grace period on this stage. Under certain circumstances, however, the jury can also increase the limit and prevent riders from being excluded.
The percentage mark-ups for the individual coefficients
