Combativity award in the Tour de France

Last updated
Combativity award
Jersey beige number.svg
Sport Road bicycle racing
Competition Tour de France
Awarded forMost aggressive rider
Local nameLe Prix de la combativité (French)
History
First award 1952
Editions73 known (as of 2024)
First winnerFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Wout Wagtmans  (NED)
Most winsFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Eddy Merckx  (BEL)
4 times
Most recentFlag of Ecuador.svg  Richard Carapaz  (ECU)

The combativity award is a prize given in the Tour de France for the most combative rider overall during the race. Historically, it favored constant attackers as it was based on the distance spent in a breakaway, included winning checkpoints and outright stage wins. Today, the winner is chosen by a jury. [1] Besides the overall winner, the jury also awards a combativity award to the most aggressive rider at the end of each stage, with this rider allowed to wear a golden number the following race day.

Contents

The 1981 Tour de France marked the last time the winner of the general classification also won the combativity award.

History

Since 1952, [2] after every stage the most combative cyclist was given an award, and an overall competition was recorded. [3] At the end of the 1956 Tour de France, André Darrigade was named the most attacking cyclist. [4] At this point, the award was given the same importance as the award for the cyclist with the most bad luck, Picot in 1956.

In 1961, the award was not given to an individual cyclist, but to an entire team, the regional team West-South-West.

The system of the award has changed over the years. Historically, riders accumulated points, and the cyclist with the most points at the end of the Tour was declared the winner. [5] The cyclist did not have to finish the race, for example in 1971 Luis Ocaña crashed out while wearing the yellow jersey on the Col de Menté in stage 14 and in 1972 Cyrille Guimard was wearing the green jersey and in 2nd place overall when he withdrew, but both were still given the combativity award.

In 1979, the combativity award was initially given to Joop Zoetemelk; [6] however Hennie Kuiper received the final award.

In a system that was implemented in 2003, a jury of eight specialists in cycling selected the most combative cyclist of each stage (excluding time trials), with the classification for most distance in breakaway groups only part of the decision. [7]

There is no jersey for the most combative rider of the previous stage, but he can be recognized by the race number worn on his back: it consists of a black number on a golden background instead of the usual black on white. [8] From 1998 until 2022, it consisted of a white number on a red background. [9] [7]

At the end of the Tour de France, a "super-combativity award" is given to the most combative cyclist of the race. As of 2017, the total prize money for the super-combativity award winner is €20,000. [10]

From 2023, the number will be golden, following sponsorship by real estate company Century 21. [8]

Winners

Overall super-combativity award winners since 1953. [11]

YearCountryRiderTeam
1953 [12] Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Wout Wagtmans Netherlands
1954 [13] Flag of France.svg  France Lucien Lazaridès (victory shared with François Mahé )France South-East
1954 [14] Flag of France.svg  France François Mahé (victory shared with Lucien Lazaridès )France West
1955 [15] Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Charly Gaul Luxembourg/Mixed
1956 Flag of France.svg  France André Darrigade France
1957 Flag of France.svg  France Nicolas Barone France Île-de-France
1958 Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Federico Bahamontes Spain
1959 Flag of France.svg  France Gérard Saint France West South-West
1960 Flag of France.svg  France Jean Graczyk France
1961 Flag of France.svg  France Team awardFrance West South-West
1962 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Eddy Pauwels Wiel's–Groene Leeuw
1963 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Rik Van Looy G.B.C.–Gramaglia
1964 Flag of France.svg  France Henry Anglade Pelforth–Sauvage–Lejeune
1965 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Felice Gimondi Salvarani
1966 Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany Rudi Altig Molteni
1967 Flag of France.svg  France Désiré Letort France
1968 Flag of France.svg  France Roger Pingeon France A
1969 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Eddy Merckx Faema
1970 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Eddy Merckx Faemino–Faema
1971 Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Luis Ocaña Bic
1972 Flag of France.svg  France Cyrille Guimard Gan–Mercier–Hutchinson
1973 Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Luis Ocaña Bic
1974 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Eddy Merckx Molteni
1975 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Eddy Merckx Molteni–RYC
1976 Flag of France.svg  France Raymond Delisle Peugeot–Esso–Michelin
1977 Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Gerrie Knetemann TI–Raleigh
1978 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Paul Wellens TI–Raleigh–McGregor
1979 Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Hennie Kuiper [n 1] TI–Raleigh–McGregor
1980 Flag of France.svg  France Christian Levavasseur Miko–Mercier–Vivagel
1981 Flag of France.svg  France Bernard Hinault Renault–Elf–Gitane
1982 Flag of France.svg  France Régis Clère COOP–Mercier–Mavic
1983 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland Serge Demierre Cilo–Aufina
1984 Flag of France.svg  France Bernard Hinault La Vie Claire
1985 Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Maarten Ducrot Lotto
1986 Flag of France.svg  France Bernard Hinault La Vie Claire
1987 Flag of France.svg  France Régis Clère Teka
1988 Flag of France.svg  France Jérôme Simon Z–Peugeot
1989 Flag of France.svg  France Laurent Fignon Super U–Raleigh–Fiat
1990 Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Eduardo Chozas ONCE
1991 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Claudio Chiappucci Carrera Jeans–Tassoni
1992 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Claudio Chiappucci Carrera Jeans–Vagabond
1993 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Massimo Ghirotto ZG Mobili
1994 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Eros Poli Mercatone Uno–Medeghini
1995 Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia Hernán Buenahora Kelme–Sureña
1996 Flag of France.svg  France Richard Virenque Festina–Lotus
1997 Flag of France.svg  France Richard Virenque Festina–Lotus
1998 Flag of France.svg  France Jacky Durand Casino–Ag2r
1999 Flag of France.svg  France Jacky Durand Lotto–Mobistar
2000 Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Erik Dekker Rabobank
2001 Flag of France.svg  France Laurent Jalabert CSC–Tiscali
2002 Flag of France.svg  France Laurent Jalabert CSC–Tiscali
2003 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Alexander Vinokourov Team Telekom
2004 Flag of France.svg  France Richard Virenque Quick-Step–Davitamon
2005 Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Óscar Pereiro Phonak
2006 Flag of Spain.svg  Spain David de la Fuente Saunier Duval–Prodir
2007 Flag of Spain.svg  Spain Amets Txurruka Euskaltel–Euskadi
2008 Flag of France.svg  France Sylvain Chavanel Cofidis
2009 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Franco Pellizotti [n 2] Liquigas
2010 Flag of France.svg  France Sylvain Chavanel Quick-Step
2011 Flag of France.svg  France Jérémy Roy FDJ
2012 Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Chris Anker Sørensen Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank
2013 Flag of France.svg  France Christophe Riblon Ag2r–La Mondiale
2014 Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Alessandro De Marchi Cannondale
2015 Flag of France.svg  France Romain Bardet AG2R La Mondiale
2016 Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Peter Sagan Tinkoff
2017 Flag of France.svg  France Warren Barguil Team Sunweb
2018 Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland Dan Martin UAE Team Emirates
2019 Flag of France.svg  France Julian Alaphilippe Deceuninck–Quick-Step
2020 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland Marc Hirschi Team Sunweb
2021 Flag of France.svg  France Franck Bonnamour B&B Hotels p/b KTM
2022 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Wout van Aert Team Jumbo–Visma
2023 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Victor Campenaerts Lotto–Dstny
2024 Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador Richard Carapaz EF Education–EasyPost

Notes

  1. Initially won by Joop Zoetemelk, award revoked after race due to doping penalty on Champs Elysees stage (see 1979 Tour de France
  2. In March 2011, Franco Pellizotti's results were removed after the Court of Arbitration for Sport found his biological passport indicated irregular values. The classification standings were not altered. [16]

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