Tour de France 2014: A guide to the riders jersey classifications

Chris Froome in the Yellow Jersey with Best Climber Nairo Alexander Quintana (left) and Best Sprinter Peter Sagan (right) Credit: Press Association

The White Jersey: Young Rider's Classification

Awarded to the rider under 25 years old who takes the shortest combined time to complete all stages of the race.
First introduced in 1975, it is the newest of the four classifications.
Prize money of €200,000 awarded to winner.
Won by 29 different riders, six of whom went on to take the yellow jersey later in their careers.
Most recent winner is Colombian, Nairo Quintana, who won it aged 23, also taking King of the Mountains and second overall in the General Classification.

The Polka Dot Jersey: Mountains Classification

The Polka Dot Jersey

Commonly known as King of the Mountains.
Awarded to the rider with the best points total from the hill climb stages.
Points are awarded on a sliding scale, based on finishing position and gradient of the climb.
Second oldest classification, introduced in 1933.
Current holder is Colombian Nairo Quintana, who claimed a clear victory in 2013, with only Chris Froome coming close.

The Green Jersey: Points Classification

The Green Jersey

Also known as the Sprint classification.
Brought in in 1953 to mark the 50th anniversary of the race.
Encourages riders to break away from the main peloton to increase their points total. They usually leave this to the final throws of the stage.
The competition can ran right up until the last sprint on the Champs-Élysées.
Most recent winner was Slovakian, Peter Sagan, who dyed his beard green on the last day of the race to celebrate his win.

The Yellow Jersey : General Classification

The Yellow Jersey

Awarded to the overall winner of the Tour, with the lowest aggregate time.
Usually won by the lead rider of a team, where everyone works for them by reducing their air resistance and controlling pace. Contenders for the jersey usually emerge at the first Time Trial.
The leader in the first Tour was awarded a yellow armband, chosen by the magazine that created the Tour which printed its newspapers on yellow paper. Changed to a jersey in 1919.
Also known by the French, Maillot Jaune.
Sir Bradley Wiggins achieved a British first in 2012 by becoming the the first to wear the jersey over the finish line, having worn it for much of the race.