Like most sports, cycling is heavily reliant on prize money. For the 2026 edition of the Tour de France a grand total of €2,302,800 (around £1.9m/$2.6m) is offered by race organisers ASO.
Unchanged from last year, the majority of this is split between the top general classification riders, with ample returns also going to stage winners, the top sprinters, each stage’s most combative rider, and the rider who crosses the Tour de France’s highest peak first. The biggest pool of money, however, is still handed out to the overall winner of the maillot jaune, which sits at €500,000.
As road cycling’s top event, the Tour de France has the largest prize pool in the sport. Its €2 million chequebook is considerably greater than the Giro d’Italia, which sat at €1.6 million this year, and the Vuelta a España, which has a prize pool of €1.1 million. It’s also worth mentioning that ASO does not offer equal prize money for the Tour de France Femmes. Instead, the overall winner of the women’s race takes home just €50,000, 10% of the men’s equivalent.
For now, let’s dig into the Tour de France’s money bags.
Yellow jersey
Almost half of the total prize money (€1,138,800) is dished out to riders based on their place in the GC.
Aside from the coveted final yellow jersey and the ceremonial trophy, the overall winner of the Tour de France will take home €500,000. Not only does the final jersey wearer get some cash, but the overall leader at the end of each stage also gets to add an extra €500 to their winnings.
Nevertheless, the Tour’s second and third place finishers in Paris will receive €200,000 and €100,000 in return for their podium efforts. From there, riders down to 19th place in the general classification will earn diminishing cash prizes, scaling down from €70,000 to €1,100.
After that, each rider will collect €1,000 if they cross the finish line in Paris sitting above 160th. Think of this as a financial participation medal.
Final GC prize money
- €500,000
- €200,000
- €100,000
- €70,000
- €50,000
- €23,000
- €11,500
- €7,600
- €4,500
- €3,800
Stage wins
All 21 stages are treated equally in the eyes of the Tour de France’s accountant. Regardless of the stage’s status or difficulty, a €28,650 prize pot is divided up between the top 20 finishers on the day.
The stage winner gets €11,000, with the runner-up receiving €5,500, and third place a smaller €2,800. The rewards continue down the standings until 20th place, which takes home €300.
Daily stage prize money
- €11,000
- €5,500
- €2,800
- €1,500
- €830
- €780
- €730
- €670
- €650
- €600
Green jersey
The green jersey, or maillot vert in French, is worn by the rider who accumulates the most points at stage finishes and intermediate sprints. The leader of this classification is usually the best – or most consistent – sprinter in the race. While winning this jersey in Paris is the ultimate prize, some extra bonuses are offered along the way, including the €300 handed out to the rider in green at the end of each stage.
Not to be snubbed either, victory at an intermediate sprint affords €1,500, while second and third take home €1,000 and €500 respectively. This, however, is usually fought out by the breakaway.
The final overall points classification has a bigger prize pot, with the winner claiming €25,000. All the riders inside the top eight positions in the classification will receive prize money in Paris.
Final points classification prize money
- €25,000
- €15,000
- €10,000
- €4,000
- €3,500
Polka dot jersey
Things get slightly more complicated for the King of the Mountains jersey.
Riders first over the summit of each categorised climb rake in between €5,000 and €200, depending on the difficulty of the climb as deemed by the race organisers. This is on a scale from hors-catégorie (out of category) to categories 1, 2, 3 and 4. This then dictates the points and prize money allocated over the climb.
Hors-catégorie climb
- €800
- €450
- €300
First category climb
- €650
- €400
- €150
Second category climb
- €500
- €250
Third/Fourth category climb
- €300 (cat.3)/€200 (cat.4)
To add to the complexity, there are two prizes on offer in the mountains this year.
Firstly, the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, named in honour of the Tour’s creator and first race director. This souvenir is awarded to the first rider to cross the Tour’s highest peak each year. This year, that honour goes to the 2,642m Col du Galibier, which the riders face on Stage 18. Whoever crests the climb in first will clock up an extra €5,000.
There’s a second €5,000 prize, the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, for the first rider to the top of the 2,115m Col du Tourmalet on Stage 6. It’s named in honour of the second director of the Tour de France, who’s memorialised at the summit.
Regardless, just wearing the polka-dot jersey for a day is worth €300, and the winner of the classification in Paris receives €25,000, just like the green jersey.
Final mountain classification prize money
- €25,000
- €15,000
- €10,000
- €4,000
- €3,500
White jersey
A small, but perfectly formed award, the white jersey is given to the highest rider in the general classification under the age of 25 (otherwise, born in, or after, 2001). To boot, the highest under-25 finisher on each stage wins a €500 boost, and a day in the maillot blanc provides €300.
Only the top four finishers in the classification, however, receive prize money. Regardless, the winner still gets to take home a handsome €20,000 cheque.
Final young riders’ classification prize money
- €20,000
- €15,000
- €10,000
- €5,000
Most aggressive rider
The next prize goes to the most combative rider, a big-ticket prize within the breakaway.
For each stage, the rider who has ridden the most aggressively is awarded the most combative rider prize, earning €2,000 and the chance to wear a golden race number, or dossard, for the next day’s stage (it used to be red but now it’s coloured for the prize’s sponsor Century 21, which, as you can see in the above picture, has a gold colour scheme). Nowadays, this is decided by an online poll and is often handed out to the last man standing in the breakaway.
The super combatif award is handed to the rider deemed the most aggressive throughout the entire race. The nominees are judged by an online vote and a jury decision. For the lucky winner, a neat cheque of €20,000 comes for all those efforts.
Team classification
Finally, the team award.
There are two different prizes up for grabs here. The team with the top-three ranked riders at the end of each stage will receive €2,800 as part of the daily team prize.
The overall team classification, however, is determined by the cumulative time of each squad’s three best-ranked riders in the general classification. The team in pole position in this classification gets to wear a yellow helmet, and the eventual winners take home a hefty €50,000 reward.
Final team classification prize money
- €50,000
- €30,000
- €20,000
- €12,000
- €8,000
Best team member
Each week, there’s a prize for the rider who the jury and a public vote consider the best team rider of the week. In French, this is called the meilleur équiper, and is described by the race organisers to honour a rider ‘often in the shadow of their team’s star’.
These are decided at three points within the race, offering €2,000 to the winner. However, a bigger super-équipier prize will be handed to the best teammate throughout the whole race. That race-long prize is slightly more valuable at €3,000.
In 2025, these awards were given to João Almeida (week one), Nils Politt (week two) and Quinn Simmons (week three and overall).