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The points classification is a secondary competition at the Tour de France which started in 1953. It is considered as the sprint competition with points being awarded to top-place finishes in a stage and for winning intermediate sprints. The leader in this category is entitled to wear the green jersey or the maillot vert.
To date, this points classification has been adopted by some of the world’s other top races. The Vuelta a Espana did so in 1955 while the Giro d’ Italia started having points classification in 1966.
The current points system is computed by adding up the points earned in every stage and deducting the corresponding penalties if any. Points are awarded to the first 15 cyclists who cross the finish line first or the intermediate sprint line. Points are also given to the cyclists with the Top 15 time in the prologue or the individual time trial.
In the event of a tie, the rider with most stages won is declared the points classification leader and wears the green jersey. If cyclists are still tied after that, then the rider with the more intermediate sprint wins is considered the leader and will get to wear the green jersey. At the end of the race, the cyclist with the most points is the winner of the green jersey.
In the history of the Tour de France, there are 13 cyclists who have won the green jersey more than once. Two among them stand out for having won the green jersey a total of six times. German cycling great Erik Zabel is one of them. The other is current UCI World Team Bora-Hansgrohe rider Peter Sagan who is the defending green jersey winner. Irish Sean Kelly won it four times while Jan Janssen, Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov and Robbie McEwen each won thrice.
After Stage 15, here are the current leaders in the points classification category of the 2019 Tour de France:
| Cyclist | Points |
|---|---|
| Peter Sagan | 284 |
| Sonny Colbrelli | 191 |
| Michael Mattews | 187 |
| Elia Viviani | 184 |
| Caleb Ewan | 148 |
| Jasper Stuyven | 132 |
| Matteo Trentin | 118 |
| Julian Alaphillippe | 117 |
| Greg Van Amermaet | 101 |
| Dylan Groenewegen | 96 |
| Thibaut Pinot | 89 |
As of the latest odds board at bet-maker TitanBet, Peter Sagan is the betting favorite to win the Points Classification at the 2019 Tour de France. Here are the odds to win the points classification of the 2019 Tour de France. Odds were taken from TitanBet as of 7/23/19:
| Cyclist | Odds |
|---|---|
| Peter Sagan | -5000 |
| Elia Viviani | +1400 |
| Sonny Colbrelli | +2500 |
| Michael Matthews | +6600 |
| Dylan Groenewegen | +15000 |
| Caleb Ewan | +15000 |
| Julian Alphillippe | +20000 |
| Matteo Trentin | +25000 |
| Jasper Stuyven | +25000 |
| Greg Van Amermaet | +60000 |
| Alexander Kristoff | +75000 |
| Andre Greipel | +75000 |
| Edvald Boasson Hagen | +75000 |
| Alejandro Valverde | +75000 |
| Michael Kwiatkowski | +75000 |
| Jens Debusschere | +75000 |
| Magnus Cort Nielsen | +75000 |
| Egan Bernal | +75000 |
Who Are The Favorites?
Peter Sagan currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Bora–Hansgrohe. The three-time world champion and one-time European champion is currently the Tour de France 2019 Points Classification leader with 284 points. He is a six-time winner of the green jersey and is the current Points Classification champion.
Elia Viviani of team UCI WorldTeam Deceuninck–Quick-Step is ranked next to Peter Sagan in the current odds board but is behind the leader by a mile both in the odds board and in the standings. Viviani won the Points Classification at the 2019 UAE Tour. Last year he also won the Points classification at the 2018 Giro d’Italia, Dubai Tour, Adriatica Iona Race, and the Abu Dhabi Tour.
Sonny Colbrelli of UCI WorldTeam Bahrain–Merida is third on the odds board. The 29-year-old Italian won the 2nd Road Race at the 2019 National Road championships. Michael Matthews of UCI WorldTeam Team Sunweb won the Points Classification at the 2019 Volta a Catalunya and the 2017 Tour de France. Dylan Groenewegen won the Points Classification at the 2019 ZLM Tour, the 2017 and 2018 Ster ZLM Tour and the 2016 Tour de Yorkshire.
Who Wins?
Peter Sagan is the cycling betting favorite to win the Points classification category in the 2019 Tour de France. And there is no reason why he shouldn’t be. After 15 stages in the 2019 Tour de France, Sagan is comfortably ahead in the Points Classification standings with 284 points and is 93 points ahead of his closest pursuer.
Not only that, but Sagan is also the co-record holder for most green jerseys won at six. Sagan won in his first five tries at the Tour de France and has won the green jersey in six out of the last seven years. And yes, don’t forget that he is also the defending green jersey champion.
While some riders are experts in the mountains and some race only for the yellow jersey, Peter Sagan is a specialist who has dedicated his Tour de France career to winning the green jersey. When it comes to the green jersey, Peter Sagan’s name comes first. And yes, there’s no question that after 15 stages, Peter Sagan is pedaling his way to winning a record 7th Points Classification title. Prediction: Peter Sagan
