Tour de France points available for harder climbs. The classification was preceded by the "meilleur grimpeur" () which was awarded by the organising newspaper "l'Auto" to a cyclist who completed each race. The classification awarded no jersey to the leader until the 1975 Tour de France, when the organizers decided to award a distinctive white jersey with red dots to the leader. The climbers' jersey is worn by the rider who, at the start of each stage, has the largest number of climbing points. If a rider leads two or more of classifications, the climbers' jersey is worn by the rider in second,
1971 Tour de France given to Luis Ocana. The new rider classification was won by Zoetemelk. This Tour de France was considered the most exciting in recent years. From this year's race the second, third and fourth place finishers, Joop Zoetemelk, Lucien Van Impe and Bernard Thévenet would each win at least one Tour during their careers. Ocana fully recovered from his injuries, and would win the 1973 Tour de France. 1971 Tour de France The 1971 Tour de France was the 58th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 26 June and 18 July, with