The points classification is a secondary award category in

road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The ...

. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points classification is the top prize for many cycling sprinters and is often known as the sprint classification; however, in some stage races these classifications are based on different criteria. The points classification is arguably the second most important title and

cycling jersey A cycling jersey is a specialised jersey for cycling. The cycling jersey used to be made of wool since the inception of cycling as a sport in the early 1900s, while contemporary jerseys have evolved into technical sportswear that is lightweig ...

to win at a cycling stage race behind the general classification, which is the winner of the event by overall time.

Points classification winners of the Grand Tours

Winners by year

A. Alessandro Petacchi was the Points leader but tested positive for elevated levels of

salbutamol Salbutamol, also known as albuterol and sold under the brand name Ventolin among others, is a medication that opens up the medium and large airways in the lungs. It is a short-acting β2 adrenergic receptor agonist that causes relaxation of ...

, resulting in a suspension and forfeiture of all results during the event. No alternate winner was declared.

Most points jerseys

In 2013, Zabel admitted to taking banned substances from 1996 to 2003, including EPO and the steroid hormone

cortisone Cortisone is a pregnene (21-carbon) steroid hormone. It is a naturally-occurring corticosteroid metabolite that is also used as a pharmaceutical prodrug. Cortisol is converted by the action of the enzyme corticosteroid 11-beta-dehydrogenase ...

Career triples

Winning the points classification in each of the three Grand Tours during a cyclist's career is a significant accomplishment. The Tour/Giro/Vuelta triple has been achieved by five riders:

Natural doubles

Winning the points classification in two Grand Tours in a single year is a rare feat.

Days leading classification

In previous tours, sometimes a stage was broken in two (or three). "Days" column gives the number of times the cyclist was a classification leader at the end of the day. Numbers in brackets include split stages. ''after the end of 2025 Giro d'Italia'' Six other riders were leading points classification in all three Grand Tours: Rudi Altig, Marino Basso, Francesco Moser,

Thierry Marie Thierry Marie (born 25 June 1963) is a French former cyclist. Marie often performed well in prologue stages: he won the Tour de France prologue three times in his career, and because of that he wore the yellow jersey in those three years, for ...

, Alessandro Petacchi and

André Greipel André Greipel (born 16 July 1982) is a German cyclist, who rode professionally in road bicycle racing between 2005 and 2021. Since his retirement from road racing, Greipel has worked as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental teams and , and in ...

. Petacchi is the sole cyclist that did this in one season (2003). The rider with the most Grand Tour days at the top of the classification in a single calendar year is Laurent Jalabert - 35 in 1995.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Points Classification Road bicycle racing terminology Grand Tour (cycling) Cycling records and statistics