The general classification leader in the Tour de France wears the yellow jersey.
The general classification ranks riders by their cumulative elapsed time across all stages. After each stage, the rider with the lowest total time receives the yellow jersey, known in French as the maillot jaune. The rider wearing it after the final stage is the overall winner of the Tour de France.
The yellow jersey was officially introduced in 1919, when Eugène Christophe became the first rider to wear it. Its colour is commonly linked to L’Auto, the yellow newspaper that organised the race. Another practical explanation is that yellow fabric was readily available when the jersey was introduced.
The other famous Tour jerseys represent different competitions. Green identifies the points-classification leader, the polka-dot jersey belongs to the mountains classification, and white is worn by the leading young rider. These categories can have different leaders from the general classification, so a rider in green or polka dots is not necessarily winning the Tour overall.
A rider may wear yellow for several stages without ultimately winning the race. Only the final general-classification standings determine the champion.