Tour has four jerseys to be won

BESANCON, France— Yellow might be the color of the most famous jersey on the Tour de France, but it’s not the only one coveted by riders.

While Lance Armstrong gets to wear yellow as the race’s overall leader, when the three-week cycling marathon ends in Paris on Today, other shirts will be awarded to the best mountain climber, fastest sprinter and best young prospect.

Barring injury, illness or a crash, Richard Virenque will get the prestigious “King of the Mountains” red polka-dot jersey, and Vladimir Karpets will wear white as the most impressive young rider.

Still up for grabs is the green jersey that goes to the top sprinter. Robbie McEwen, Thor Hushovd and Eric Zabel are still vying for that title.

Virenque, a 34-year-old Frenchman, will clinch the polka-dot jersey for a record seventh time. He won just one mountain stage, while Armstrong claimed three. But Virenque picked up more points than the Texan because he attacked in almost every climb, while Armstrong usually saved his energy for the end of each stage.

The number of points available depends on the severity of each ascent. A category 1 climb is worth 15 points, a category 2 earns 10, a category 3 yields 4, while a category 4 brings only 3 points.

The most grueling climbs are ungraded, or “hors categorie.” Placing first in one of these earns 20 points. Second place gets 18, with 16 awarded for third. Additionally, a rider placing first on the final ascent of the day sees his points for that climb doubled.

For the green jersey, winning a sprint at the end of a flat stage earns 35 points, second-place gets 30, third-place yields 26, and the scale continues, with 25th place worth one point. Extra points are available for the top three riders at intermediate sprints during a stage. Even in the mountains, points are available for sprinters, but less than on flats.

Heading into today, McEwen has 238 points, Hushovd 227, and Zabel 221. McEwen has won two stages, Hushovd one. McEwen won the green jersey in 2002.

Riders competing for the white jersey must be born after Jan. 1, 1979. The winner is the highest-placed young rider in the overall rankings. Karpets beat French duo Sandy Casar and Thomas Voeckler, who finished second and third.