2026 Tour to see biggest revamp of race for green jersey in 15 years

The 2026 Tour de France will feature two intermediate sprints in each of its seven flat stages, marking the biggest shake-up of the format of the race for the green jersey in 15 years.

Prior to 2011, Tour stages routinely featured two or even three intermediate sprints, awarding 6 points to the first rider across the line. That changed in 2011, when ASO introduced the current format of one intermediate sprint per stage with 20 points for the first across the line.

For 2026, seven stages have been designated as ‘flat,’ and they will each include two intermediate sprints.

“To open up new strategic options for the contenders in the points classification, the routes of the seven flat stages will feature two intermediate sprints,” ASO explained.

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won the points classification in 2025, although his closest challenger was overall winner Tadej Pogacar rather than a sprinter. It is clearly ASO’s hope that 2026 will see a more direct head-to-head battle for the green jersey.

The decision to add an additional point of interest to sprint stages was perhaps also a byproduct of technical director Thierry Gouvenou’s criticism of the racing on the rare flat days on the 2025 Tour.

Gouvenou decried the way the sprinters’ teams controlled the race, and he threatened to cut down on their opportunities in the future. “They aren't doing themselves any favours,” Gouvenou said. “In the future, we won’t be able to continue to have these kinds of shows. But it won’t last, because there won’t be any more sprint stages in the future.”

It remains to be seen, however, if the addition of an extra sprint will encourage more aggressive racing or simply lead to tighter control from the sprinters’ teams.

The 2026 Tour will maintain time bonuses at stage finishes, but there will be no bonuses on offer at intermediate sprints. Bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds will be awarded to the first three riders on each of the 19 road stages.