Polka dot jersey
|
|
| Award details | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Road bicycle racing |
| Competition | Tour de France |
| Given for | Best climber |
| Local name | Maillot à pois rouges (French) |
| History | |
| First award | 1933 |
| Editions | 76 (as of 2016) |
| First winner |
 Vicente Trueba (ESP)
|
| Most wins |
|
| Most recent |
 Rafał Majka (POL)
|
Richard Virenque (FRA)
The mountains classification is a secondary competition in the Tour de France, that started in 1933. It is given to rider that gains the most points for reaching mountain summits first. The leader of the classification is named the King of the Mountains, and since 1975 wears the polka dot jersey (French: maillot à pois rouges), a white jersey with red polka dots.
The first Tour de France crossed no mountain passes, but several lesser cols. The first was the col des Echarmeaux (712 m (2,336 ft)), on the opening stage from Paris to Lyon, on what is now the old road from Autun to Lyon. The stage from Lyon to Marseille included the col de la République (1,161 m (3,809 ft)), also known as the col du Grand Bois, at the edge of St-Etienne. The first major climb—the Ballon d'Alsace (1,178 m (3,865 ft)) in the Vosges — was featured in the 1905 race.
True mountains were not included until the Pyrenees in 1910. In that year the race rode, or more walked, first the col d'Aubisque and then the nearby Tourmalet. Both climbs were mule tracks, a demanding challenge on heavy, ungeared bikes ridden by men with spare tires around their shoulders and their food, clothing and tools in bags hung from their handlebars. The assistant organiser, Victor Breyer, stood at the summit of the Aubisque with the colleague who had proposed including the Pyrenees, Alphonse Steinès. The tour organiser, Henri Desgrange was confident enough after the Pyrenees to include the Alps in 1911.
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Wikipedia