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Regulations gather a set of rules governing a competition. Rules must be well balanced and subtle in order provide a fair race, to motivate the riders and to help the spectators and viewers understand the competition. You will find the outlines of the regulations below.
Download the rules (French/English version)(96 pages, .pdf, Mo)
The leaders of a team and his team mates racing on the Tour de France try to excel, individually or by the support they provide to their team. According to the stage profiles, the evolution of the general standings or some unexpected circumstance during the race, each rider adapts his objectives to the situation. The winners of the various prizes eventually share the honours and the money at stake with their team mates. Enough to make (almost!) everybody happy.
The 21 stages of the 2007 Tour de France are divided up as follows: 1 prologue, 11 flat stages, 6 mountain stages, 1 medium mountain stage and 2 individual time-trial stages.
Prize money: € 8,000 for each stage victory.
It rewards the leader of the general classification, calculated by adding together the times achieved on each stage. Also taken into account are any bonifications earned on the intermediate sprints or the finish. It is of course the Yellow Jersey that is most coveted.
Prize money: € 450,000 for the winner of the final classification
The Yellow Jersey has been sponsored by 
since 1987.
It identifies the leader in the classification on points. The points in question are awarded according to the passing order on the intermediate sprints and at the finish line. It is the sprint specialists who generally vie for this jersey.
Prize money: € 25,000 for the winner of the classification on points.
The Green Jersey has been sponsored by 
since 1992.
It goes to the best climber. The points counting towards the mountain classification are awarded on the basis of the passing order at the top of the cotes or cols.
Prize money: € 25,000 for the winner of the “mountain classification”.
The Polka Dot Jersey has been sponsored by 
since 1993.
It is given to the best young rider on Le Tour. Only riders aged 25 or under compete for this jersey.
Prize money: € 20,000 for the best young rider.
The White Jersey has been sponsored by 
since 2004.
This prize is awarded at the end of each stage by a jury comprising eight specialists in cycling. A “super-combativity” prize is also awarded at the end of the last stage of the Tour.
Prize money: € 20,000 for the “super combativity” award.
The Combativity Prize has been sponsored by 
since 2005.
This classification is determined by adding the times of the best three riders of each squad in each stage.
Prize money: € 50,000 for the winning team.
This year, the Tour de France has no team time-trial stage. But for the rest, the regulations have not undergone any major modification as the changes introduced in the last editions have satisfied riders and organisers alike.
The Team Classification is sponsored by 
the new partner of the Tour de France in 2007.
Since the 2004 edition of the Tour de France, the competition for the Polka Dot Jersey includes a detail adding some spice to the race: for the final climb on a stage’s profile, the points are doubled for Category 1, Category 2 and Top Category climbs. So the riders present at the top of this classification are undoubtedly the most courageous ones and the prize goes to those who remain on top of the classification for the longest period of time.
