Tour de France 2016: The regulations - All about the Tour rules, jerseys and rankings

The yellow jersey ...
... will be awarded to the leader of the overall standings - that is the racer with the shortest overall driving time. The overall winner receives 450,000 euros.

Time credits ...
... on all stages except the individual time trial. The first three finishers are credited with 10, 6 and 4 seconds respectively.

The white jersey ...
... is awarded to the best-placed driver in the overall standings who was born after 1 January 1991. The overall winner of the junior classification receives 20,000 euros.

The ranking of the jerseys
If a rider leads in several classifications, yellow is to be worn before green, followed by the dotted jersey and the white jersey. The leader's jersey is then worn by the next rider in the respective classification.

The three-kilometre rule ...
... helps riders who are slowed down by crashes or punctures in the last three kilometres of a stage. They are counted with the same time as the best-placed rider in the group they were in at the time of the mishap. This rule does not apply to stages with mountain finishes and individual time trials.

Yellow start numbers ...
... are worn by the riders of the team that leads the team classification. This is calculated by adding together the times of the three best riders in each team.

The red start number ...
... is awarded to the most combative rider of the previous day. This so-called "Prix de la Combativité" is awarded by a jury of journalists, ex-professionals and representatives of the race organiser. At the end of the Tour, the "Super Combatif" is chosen, the most combative rider of the entire race.

The time limit ...
... is the driving force: Depending on the length of the course and the winning pace, a percentage mark-up on the winning time determines the maximum time that the last-placed runners may take. You can find an example calculation below. If you don't make the limit, you are eliminated.

Calculation example for the time limit

The so-called "grace time" is calculated by adding a percentage to the stage winner's riding time. The percentage depends on the coefficient of the stage; this is between one and seven, depending on the type and difficulty of the stage. The average speed of the winner is also important. The faster the rider rides, the higher the bonus for those who are left behind.

Our example: the 15th stage of this year's Tour, which leads over 160 kilometres from Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz. According to the regulations, this stage has a coefficient of 4 (see table below). According to the table in the official regulations (see download at the bottom of page 27), the percentage is between 7 and 18 per cent, depending on the average speed of the winner.

If the aforementioned stage is won after 4:34:00 hours with an average speed of 35.0 km/h, 12 per cent is added to the winner's time according to the regulations. This means that the last riders may arrive at the finish 32:53 minutes after the winner - if they take longer, they will be disqualified. The tour is over for these riders. However, the jury also has the option of increasing the time limit in justified cases - for example in particularly difficult conditions during the race.

In the individual time trial (13th stage, coefficient 6), the riders may take a maximum of 25 per cent longer than the day's winner; in the mountain time trial (18th stage, coefficient 7), the maximum time increase is 33 per cent.

The coefficients of the stages

The Tour de France organiser has assigned a coefficient to the individual stages depending on their type and difficulty. This coefficient plays a role in determining both the time limit and the number of points awarded in the classification for the green jersey.

Coefficient of stage1 234567stage 1xstage 2xstage 3xstage 4xstage 5xstage 6xstage 7xstage 8xstage 9xstage 10xstage 11xstage 12xstage 13xstage 14xstage 15xstage 16xstage 17xstage 18xstage 19xstage 20xstage 21x

Points classification (green jersey)

One of the most coveted classifications in the Tour de France is the points classification. The leader wears the green jersey. At the finish of each stage, points are awarded to the top 15 finishers. On the stages with a mass start (coefficients 1 to 5), there is also an intermediate sprint every day. Depending on the difficulty of the stage (see coefficients above), different numbers of points are awarded at the finish. In order to give the sprinters a better chance in this classification, there are more points to be won on flatter stages than on mountainous stages.

PlatzPunkte im ZielPunkte beim Zwischensprint1*2,3*4,5,6,7*1503020202302517173202215154181913135161711116141510107121399810118898977107766116655125544134433143322152211

* depending on the coefficient of the stage (see table above)

Mountain classification (white jersey with red dots)

The mountain classification is intended to incentivise strong climbers. The leader in this classification wears the white jersey with the red dots. Points are awarded on all categorised climbs (see diagram below) - the most difficult climbs (length and gradient play a role in the classification) are classified as HC (hors catégorie), followed by 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th categories. The points are doubled for the so-called mountain finishes: in Andorra-Arcalis (9th stage), on Mont Ventoux (12th), in Finhaut-Emosson (17th) and in Saint-Gervais (19th)

PlatzKategorie der BergwertungHC*1*23412510521220831316624144151226101788694102

* The points for the mountain classification at the finish of the following stages will be doubled: 9th (Andorra-Arcalis), 12th (Mont Ventoux), 17th (Finhaut-Emosson) and 19th (Saint-Gervais).

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