The Tour de France green jersey is reportedly getting a revamp this year, with the points system reallocated in what could be read as an attempt to stop the imperious Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) from challenging for that jersey too.
The official Tour rules and regulations for 2026 have not yet been published widely, but have been provided to the teams, and Belgian outlet Sporza reported on Friday that the new system will make more points available on stages designated 'Flat' and therefore likely to finish in a bunch sprint.
In previous years, flat stages awarded 50 points for the winner at the finish line, whilst climbing stages awarded 30, so the points classification has always been weighted towards sprinters and is seen as a competition for them.
However, last year Pogačar came dangerously close to winning the green jersey – he has already won the yellow, polka dot and white jerseys – wearing it mid-race after winning atop the Mûr-de-Bretagne and then breathing down sprinter Jonathan Milan's (Lidl-Trek) neck in the final week.
In the end, Milan just about held on to the green jersey, but Pogačar finished second in the classification, only 78 down on Milan. GC rider Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) also finished fourth in the classification, further exemplifying the possible flaws in the system.
And this was all without Pogačar particularly trying, either – the yellow jersey did not chase down stage wins in the final week, suffering from knee pain, nor did he target intermediate sprints. If he had, he was close enough to challenge for green.
Perhaps in response, ASO appear to have further categorised the stages for the 2026 race, with expected sprint stages now carrying a maximum of 70 points for the winner, 50 for second and 40 for third – which is double what third place earned last year.
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My view
Matilda Price
This is definitely only a good thing. The green jersey is meant to be a sprinter's jersey, or at least for the fast, Classics riders, it shouldn't be won by the yellow jersey, not in this day and age. Last year it seemed totally possible that Pogačar could win it and therefore take home all four Tour jerseys in his career, which would have been a cool feat, yes, but let's face it, more Pog domination is the last thing anyone actually wants. I'm glad ASO are trying to keep this jersey for the sprinters.
Stages 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 17 and 21 are all classified as 'Flat' in the Tour de France route this year, despite the addition of the Montmartre climbs in the final stage, which should mean that it is more likely for sprinters to rack up more points than the GC riders in the green jersey standings.
It is not yet clear if the Tour is creating a third classification for sprint points, and whether some stages will still carry 50 points at the finish, perhaps punchy stages, or if all other stages will still have only 30 points available at the line.
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Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported on the ground at all of the biggest events on the calendar, including the men's and women's Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, the Spring Classics and the World Championships. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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