How to Earn Points in the Tour de France

The winner of the Tour de France is fairly easy to determine: he's the rider whose overall time is the shortest. Beyond that, however, lies a Byzantine array of scoring systems, point systems, grading systems and regulating systems designed to determine how well each team and individual rider is doing. You can earn points in the Tour de France a number of ways, using methods every rider needs to know before he enters the race.

Instructions

    • 1

      Determine which points you want to earn: individual points (for sprinting) or points for climbing. The leader in the individual points category wears a green jersey, while the leader in the climbing category wears a red polka-dot jersey.

    • 2

      Perform well on the flat in-line stages. These are the stages where speed over flat terrain is emphasized. Points are generally given, in decreasing amounts, for the first 25 riders to finish each stage.

    • 3

      Finish in the top 20 during the "medium mountain" in-line stages. This placing will earn fewer individual points than the in-line stages because they tend to be hillier. You still receive points in descending order based on placement, though.

    • 4

      Work on completing the "high mountain" in-line stages. These stages are very grueling and only the first 15 riders across the finish line earn points towards individual rankings.

    • 5

      Finish both the individual time trial stages and the intermediate springs quickly. The first ten finishers in the individual time trials earn points for the sprint (with the leader receiving 20 points, descending to only 1 point for the tenth rider to cross the finish line), while the first three riders to finish the intermediate sprints earn 6, 4 and 2 points respectively.

    • 6

      Strive to finish all designated hills and mountains quickly. These are used to determine the best climber rankings, which differ from the individual sprint rankings. Mountain difficulties are designated in five different categories--"non-graded" passes (the toughest) and Category 1, 2, 3 and 4 passes--with each pass providing differing point awards to the top finishers.

    • 7

      Avoid points penalties. Penalties can be assessed for any number of reasons, from improper procedure to flat-out cheating. They can be a considerable sting for those attempting to attain a specific ranking by earning points, so follow all official International Cycling Union (UCI) rules and regulations at all times (see Resources below).

    • 8

      Finish the race. Riders must actually complete the Tour de France in order to be considered for titles like "best climber" and "best young cyclist." The points you earn won't mean much if you don't complete the Tour.