White jersey White jersey Numerous cycling stage races award a white jersey to signify the current leader and overall winner of a certain competition, or to signify the best young rider in the race. The most prominent of these is the Tour de France, where the jersey is known as the "maillot blanc" and is awarded to the best-placed rider age under 26. The use of the white jersey to recognize the best young rider in a race is its most common use, though some tours award a white jersey for a different classification. Other stage races, besides the Tour de France,
Mountains classification in the Tour de France climber was first recognised in 1933, the distinctive jersey was not introduced until 1975. The colours were decided by the then sponsor, Chocolat Poulain, whose chocolate bars were covered in a polka dot wrapper. Currently the jersey is sponsored by Carrefour supermarkets, which has sponsored the jersey since 1993, initially under the Champion brand, it switched to the main Carrefour brand for the 2009 edition of the Tour. The Tour's jersey colours have also been adopted by other cycling stage races; for example, the Tour of Britain also has a polka dot jersey. The first rider to ever wear the