In the Tour de France, the overall race leader wears the yellow jersey.
The jersey represents the general classification, calculated by adding riders’ times across all stages. The rider with the lowest total time wears yellow, even if another cyclist wins an individual stage. Time bonuses and penalties can also affect the standings.
The yellow jersey was introduced during the 1919 Tour de France, which was held after a pause caused by World War I. Eugène Christophe became the first rider to wear it. Yellow was chosen because L’Auto, the newspaper that organized the race, was printed on yellow paper.
The yellow jersey is often confused with the green jersey, which represents the points classification, and the polka-dot jersey, awarded to the best climber. The white jersey recognizes the leading young rider under the competition’s age rules. A rider may wear different jerseys on different days, but yellow is the sport’s most famous symbol of overall leadership.