Yellow Leaders Jersey: Maillot Jaune
Green Points Jersey: Maillot Vert
Polkadot Mountain Jersey: Maillot à pois rouges /Haute Grimpeur
White Young Riders Jersey: Maillot Blanc
Also Awarded is the 'prix de la combativité', for the most aggressive rider.
and the 'lantern rouge' for the last place rider - not a jersey but a red coloured number
The winners keep them
To the winner of the Tour De France
"Tour de" basically means "tour of". So tour de France = tour of France.
To make it easier for spectators to spot the best riders
To make it easier for the audience to spot the top riders.
7 yellow jerseys in the Tour De France. The actual number is 83. The yellow jersey is givin to the leader of the race after each stage. Lance has won the tour de Frace race 7 times.
The leading rider aged under 25 on the 1st January wears a White Jersey.
Eddie Merckx
The jerseys were invented to make the race a bit more interesting for the spectators. Made it easier to identify the top riders as they passed.
Erik Zabel won six green jerseys in a row: from 1996 to 2001.
There is no official purple jersey in the Tour de France. You might have seen a team jersey in that colour.
Le tour de France