Tour de France 2026 ***Spoilers***

[Pblakeney]

Well he won in both 2014 and 2015 without a stage win (Kittel got 4 in '14, Greipel 4 in '15)

But if we look closer, in '14 he had eleven top ten finishes, including four second places and in '15 he had eleven top ten finishes, five of which were second place so I think we can be OK with that, he was literally in the top ten for over half the stages raced for those two years. In the seven editions he won green he was in the top ten on 74 stages out of 147, that's 50.3% It would be churlish to deny that was green jersey worthy.


Just for interest, in the twelve Tours he started he was in the top ten on 92 stages out of 235 (he only raced four stages in 2017 when he was rightly DQed for putting Cav into the barriers). That's 39% of stages he raced in the Tour he was in the top ten. Pretty much the same as Pogacar, though obviously a lot more of Pog's were stage wins.

I’m not going to argue against any of that.
My original point was that he knew how to win the jersey despite not being the best sprinter. Because it is a points jersey.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

I’m not going to argue against any of that.
My original point was that he knew how to win the jersey despite not being the best sprinter. Because it is a points jersey.

They should probably just do it old school like the original points based GCs. Just add up finishing positions, the rider with the lowest total is the winner.

The problem with saying "it's a points jersey" is that points are inherently meaningless. You get points in the KoM jersey competition as well, but that's not the "points jersey" apparently.

 

[wakemalcolm]

How about all stages must finish in a town with a velodrome and anyone finishing in the front group that wants to win the stage takes part in a devil.

 

[Pblakeney]

They should probably just do it old school like the original points based GCs. Just add up finishing positions, the rider with the lowest total is the winner.

The problem with saying "it's a points jersey" is that points are inherently meaningless. You get points in the KoM jersey competition as well, but that's not the "points jersey" apparently.

The points jersey is for the sponsors. Intermediate points are to entice some to watch more of the stage than the last 5kms.
Leave it to stage winners and Pog wins.
Where’s the fun in that?
Too many intermediate points and a rouler (Sagan?) wins. Getting the balance so a sprinter always wins is nigh on impossible.

 

[Pross]

Well Sagan's first green jersey came in 2012, where Cav won three stages, but so did he (and Griepel). He also got placings in multiple stages where Cav was nowhere and chased the intermediates. I don't think anyone is going to complain about that

And yes, it's a points jersey not a sprints jersey, but it's designed for sprinters, that's why you don't get the same amount of points for winning on Hautacam as you do for winning in Bordeaux. And regardless of whether it's a sprinter jersey or points jersey, you want the guy winning nearly a third of the stages in the race to be wearing it over someone who's only won one or two

So you want Pog to win green? I thought that’s what they were trying to get away from.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

So you want Pog to win green? I thought that’s what they were trying to get away from.

No, because it's meant to be for sprinters.

 

[Pross]

No, because it's meant to be for sprinters.

You said you want the guy who has won a third of stages to be wearing it over someone who has only won one or two. In recent years that has been Pog. The reason he came close to green last year is he wins loads of stages.