For all his guileless competitiveness and his predilection for making history, at the start of the Tour de France, it was never part of the plan for Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) to launch a concerted challenge for the green jersey, the hardest and, pertinently, the most risky prize for a GC rider. Currently resplendent in yellow, leading the KOM classification and with four stages already to his name, Pogačar’s 2025 Tour is close to matching Eddy Merckx’s dictatorship of the 1969 edition. Pogačar’s domination across multiple terrains harks back to the champions of 50 years ago, when riders like Merckx and Bernard Hinault could win any jersey they wanted at the Grand Tours.
Pogačar is reversing half a century of natural selection within an ever competitive and advancing peloton, which has seen sprinters get bigger and climbers get lighter. The world champion somehow occupies several niches, standing alone as someone who can win everything — the lion, the wolf and the eagle all in one form, in a field of lambs. Such is his command on this Tour, he is second in the points classification without trying to be. However, — although it’s not all over — after Jonathan Milan’s win on stage 17 to Valence, it seems like the Italian has done enough to hold off Pogačar. But, Lidl-Trek won’t be able to rest easy.
Milan leads Pogačar by 72 points with four days remaining — two mountain stages, one hilly stage and the challenging finale in Paris, which includes three ascents of the Montmartre climb. Stage 17 was most likely Milan’s last win of this Tour, so he had to make it count. His only issue is that Pogačar realistically has a chance of winning the remaining four stages, which would be a maximum of 120 points. Priority will always be to protect the yellow jersey but with no major changes to the way UAE race, Pogačar could inherit green too.
As Milan is not the favourite for any more stage wins and Pogačar most certainly is, the outcome of points classification could be decided by placings at the intermediate sprints. They are four more, one for each stage, all worth 20 points. This is where Milan could put the competition to bed, as Pogačar and UAE are unlikely to expend energy early on to control. However, UAE could let a breakaway hoover up the points and then catch it later in the stage, when Milan will be dropped and set up their leader for the stage and more points. It’s certainly not over yet, and it is still too soon for Lidl-Trek to bring out a custom green Trek Madone for their sprinter.
Pogačar hasn't been trying to harvest green jersey points (Image: Zac Williams / SWpix.com)
This year’s green jersey competition at this year’s Tour is almost like a microcosm of what modern cycling has become. The green jersey is not a prize just for sprinters, especially at this Tour, which has favoured lumpy finales over flat finishes. As route designs change, and organisers seek out more aggressive entertaining racing, it’s possible that the different jersey competitions bleed into each other more — like at the Vuelta a España, where a GC rider often wins the points competition.
For much of the race, Milan has looked every inch the man to beat in green in a traditional Tour. His wins in Laval and Valence were textbook — a masterclass in timing, positioning, and brute strength. But in the Tour of 2025, green no longer belongs solely to the fast men. On one hand it's exciting having two riders who couldn’t be more different — the broad-shouldered Italian sprinter and Slovenian sensation going for the same prize. But on the other hand, Pogačar hasn’t really gone for green at this Tour, he is in second place because he has been focusing on yellow.
This raises a more fundamental question about the classification itself. If a GC rider like Pogačar — who shows no interest in traditional sprints — can potentially win green through a combination of mountain stage wins, punchy finishes, TTs and most importantly being consistent, is the jersey still a sprinter’s prize? For the last 30 years, green has mostly been a reward for the sprinters. Now, it feels like something more — like a prize for the most complete rider, like it was 50 years ago. Has the Tour's points system shifted its focus back to the most consistent rider? Or is this just a one-off for a rider that is one-of-a-kind in Pogačar, the most complete rider ever?
In that sense, the 2025 green jersey isn’t just a classification. It’s a decision on what kind of rider defines the modern Tour de France.
