Sprinters rejoice! Tour de France confirms major rule change that could transform green jersey battle
Cycling
The Tour de France has confirmed a major points classification rule change that could shift the green jersey battle firmly back towards the sprinters in 2026.
After a 2025 edition in which Jonathan Milan won green but Tadej Pogacar still finished second in the points classification, flat stages will now carry a bigger reward than in recent editions. Tour organiser ASO has confirmed to TV 2 Sport that the fastest rider on flat stages will now take 70 points, rather than the 50 available in previous years.
That change will apply on five stages at this year’s Tour de France. A further four more undulating stages will still offer 50 points to the first rider across the line, leaving a clearer distinction between the pure sprint days and the hillier stages where Classics riders, breakaway specialists and GC contenders can also collect heavily.
For the fast men, it is an obvious boost. For the green jersey battle, it could be one of the most important changes heading into the race.
Milan held off Pogacar in 2025
Milan ended the 2025 Tour de France as green jersey winner, capping a three-week campaign built around sprint wins, consistency and intermediate sprint points. Yet the final standings also showed why the classification had become more complicated than a pure sprint prize.
Pogacar finished second in the points competition, despite fighting for yellow rather than building his Tour around green. His ability to score heavily on hilly and mountain stages kept him close enough to leave the sprinters with little margin for error.
Biniam Girmay finished third, while Jasper Philipsen’s challenge was cut short early after a crash and abandon on stage 3. Philipsen had already shown his speed at the race before his exit, but one of the most obvious green jersey contenders was gone before the points battle had properly settled.
The new points structure gives riders such as Milan, Philipsen, Tim Merlier and Girmay a stronger platform on the stages most suited to them. It does not remove the importance of intermediate sprints or survival through the mountains, but it increases the value of winning the days where the peloton is expected to finish in a bunch sprint.
Jonathan Milan celebrates in the Green Jersey at the 2026 Tour de France
Green jersey fight gets sharper sprint focus
The 2026 Tour route contains seven flat stages, giving the sprinters several chances to shape the points classification before the race reaches its hardest terrain. With five of those stages now carrying 70 points for the fastest rider, the balance of the competition has shifted.
Milan will enter the race as the reigning green jersey winner, with Lidl-Trek again expected to back one of the most powerful sprint engines in the peloton. Philipsen has his own unfinished business after his early exit in 2025, while Girmay remains a dangerous all-round points threat after winning green in 2024 and staying in the hunt again last summer.
Merlier adds another pure sprint storyline, especially if the flatter stages become even more decisive in the battle for green. The rule change does not guarantee that a sprinter wins the jersey, but it gives the fast men a clearer route to doing so.
After a 2025 contest in which Pogacar finished second behind Milan, the Tour de France has given the sprinters a bigger prize on the days built for them.
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Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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