In the Tour de France, one of the three Grand Tours of professional stage cycling, the yellow jersey is given to the leader of the general classification. The Tour de France is the most famous road cycling event in the world, and is held annually in the month of July. Although all riders compete together, the winners of the Tour are divided into classifications, each best known by the coloured jersey that is worn by the leader of it; the general classification (GC), represented by the maillot jaune (yellow jersey), is for the overall leader in terms of the lowest time. The other individual classifications in the Tour de France are the points classification, also known as the sprinters' classification (green jersey), the mountains classification (polka dot jersey), and the young rider classification (white jersey).

The first Tour de France was in 1903, but the yellow jersey was only introduced during the 1919 Tour de France, during which Firmin Lambot was the first Belgian cyclist ever to wear the yellow jersey.

List "Obtained" refers to the date and stage where the rider secured the lead of the general classification at the finish; the rider would first wear the yellow jersey in the stage after, where he would start the day as leader. "Relinquished" refers to the date and stage where the rider lost the lead, and therefore was not wearing the yellow jersey the following stage. +List of Belgian cyclists who wore the yellow jersey Year Name Team Obtained Relinquished Final GC Notes Stage Date From Stage Date To 1919 Firmin Lambot 14, Metz — Dunkirk July 25, 1919 winner 1920 Louis Mottiat 1, Paris — Le Havre June 27, 1920 Opening stage 2, Le Havre — Cherbourg June 29, 1920 DNF Philippe Thys 2, Le Havre — Cherbourg June 29, 1920 winner 1921 Louis Mottiat 1, Paris — Le Havre June 26, 1921 Opening stage 2, Le Havre — Cherbourg June 28, 1921 11th Léon Scieur 2, Le Havre — Cherbourg June 28, 1921 winner 1922 Hector Heusghem 12, Geneva — Strasbourg July 17, 1922 13, Strasbourg — Metz July 19, 1922 4th Firmin Lambot 13, Strasbourg — Metz July 19, 1922 winner 1925 Adelin BenoîtThomann 3, Cherbourg — Brest June 25, 1925 7, Bordeaux — Bayonne June 29, 1925 12th 8, Bayonne — Luchon July 1, 1925 9, Luchon — Perpignan July 3, 1925 1926 Jules Buysse Automoto–Hutchinson 1, Évian — Mülhausen June 20, 1926 Opening stage 3, Metz — Dunkirk June 24, 1926 9th Gustaaf Van Slembrouck J.B. Louvet-Wolber 3, Metz — Dunkirk June 24, 1926 10, Bayonne — Luchon July 6, 1926 DNF Lucien Buysse Automoto–Hutchinson 10, Bayonne — Luchon July 6, 1926 winner 1927 Hector Martin J.B. Louvet 7, Brest — Vannes June 25, 1927 11, Bayonne — Luchon June 30, 1927 9th 1929 Aimé Dossche 1, Paris — Caen June 30, 1929 Opening stage 4, Dinan — Brest July 3, 1929 DNF Maurice De Waele Alcyon 4, Dinan — Brest July 3, 1929 7, Les Sables-d'Olonne — Bordeaux July 6, 1929 10, Luchon — Perpignan July 11, 1929 winner Gaston Rebry Alcyon 8, Bordeaux — Bayonne July 7, 1929 9, Bayonne — Luchon July 9, 1929 10th 1931 Alfred Haemerlinck Belgium 1, Paris — Caen June 30, 1931 Opening stage 2, Caen — Dinan July 1, 1931 DNF 1932 Jean Aerts Belgium 1, Paris — Caen July 6, 1932 Opening stage 2, Caen — Nantes July 7, 1932 13th 1933 Georges Lemaire Belgium 9, Gap — Digne July 6, 1933 11, Nice — Cannes July 9, 1933 4th 1935 Romain Maes Belgium 1, Paris — Lille July 4, 1935 Opening stagewinner 1936 Sylvère Maes Belgium 8, Grenoble — Briançon July 15, 1936 winner 1937 Marcel Kint Belgium 3, Charleville — Metz July 2, 1937 4, Metz — Belfort July 3, 1937 DNF Sylvère Maes Belgium 9, Briançon — Digne July 9, 1937 17a, Bordeaux — Royan July 9, 1937 DNF 1938 Félicien Vervaecke Belgium 8, Pau — Luchon July 14, 1938 14, Digne — Briançon July 22, 1938 1939 Romain Maes Belgium 2a, Caen — Vire July 11, 1939 2b, Vire — Rennes July 11, 1939 DNF Sylvère Maes Belgium 15, Digne — Briançon July 26, 1939 winner 1948 Jan Engels Aiglons 2, Trouville — Dinard July 1, 1948 3, Dinard — Nantes July 2, 1948 22nd Roger Lambrecht Internationals 4, Nantes — La Rochelle July 3, 1948 6, Bordeaux — Biarritz July 5, 1948 7th 1949 Roger Lambrecht Belgium 2, Reims — Brussels July 1, 1949 3, Brussels — Boulogne-sur-Mer July 2, 1949 11th Norbert Callens Belgium 3, Brussels — Boulogne-sur-Mer July 2, 1949 4, Boulogne-sur-Mer — Rouen July 3, 1949 DNF 1952 Rik Van Steenbergen Belgium 1, Brest — Rennes June 25, 1952 Opening stage 3, Le Mans — Rouen June 27, 1952 DNF 1956 Gilbert Desmet Belgium 3, Lille — Rouen July 7, 1956 4b, Rouen — Caen July 8, 1956 21st Jan Adriaensens Belgium 12, Pau — Luchon July 17, 1956 15, Montpellier — Aix-en-Provence July 20, 1956 1958 Jos Hoevenaers Belgium 2, Ghent — Dunkirk June 27, 1958 3, Dunkirk — Mers-les-Bains June 28, 1958 10th 1959 Eddy PauwelsBelgium 9, Bordeaux — Bayonne July 3, 1959 10, Bayonne — Bagnères-de-Bigorre July 5, 1959 11th 16, Clermont-Ferrand — Saint-Étienne July 11, 1959 17, Saint-Étienne — Grenoble July 13, 1959 Jos Hoevenaers Belgium 13, Albi — Aurillac July 8, 1959 16, Clermont-Ferrand — Saint-Étienne July 11, 1959 8th 1960 Julien Schepens Belgium 1a, Lille — Brussels June 26, 1960 Opening stage 1b, Brussels — Brussels June 26, 1960 DNF Jan Adriaensens Belgium 6, Saint-Malo — Lorient July 1, 1960 10, Mont-de-Marsan — Pau July 5, 1960 1962 Willy Schroeders 9, La Rochelle — Bordeaux July 2, 1962 12, Pau — Saint-Gaudens July 5, 1962 DNF Jef Planckaert 13, Luchon — Superbagnères July 6, 1962 20, Bourgoin — Lyon July 13, 1962 1963 Eddy Pauwels 1, Paris — Épernay June 23, 1963 Opening stage 3, Jambes — Roubaix June 25, 1963 13th Gilbert Desmet 6b, Angers — Angers June 28, 1963 16, Grenoble — Val-d'Isère July 9, 1963 5th 1964 Edward Sels 1, Rennes — Lisieux June 22, 1964 Opening stage 3a, Amiens — Forest June 24, 1964 33rd Bernard Van de Kerckhove 3a, Amiens — Forest June 24, 1964 5, Lunéville — Freiburg June 26, 1964 57th 1965 Rik Van Looy 1a, Cologne — Liège June 22, 1965 Opening stage 2, Liège — Roubaix June 23, 1965 31st Bernard Van de Kerckhove 2, Liège — Roubaix June 23, 1965 3, Roubaix — Rouen June 24, 1965 DNF 7, La Baule — La Rochelle June 28, 1965 9, Dax — Bagnères-de-Bigorre June 30, 1965 1967 Willy Van Neste Belgium 2, Saint-Malo — Caen July 1, 1967 3, Caen — Amiens July 2, 1967 33rd Jozef Spruyt Belgium 4, Amiens — Roubaix July 3, 1967 5a, Roubaix — Jambes July 4, 1967 57th 1968 Herman Van Springel Belgium A 3a, Forest — Forest June 30, 1968 4, Roubaix — Rouen July 1, 1968 19, La Baule — La Rochelle July 18, 1968 22b, Dax — Bagnères-de-Bigorre July 21, 1968 Georges Vandenberghe Belgium B 5a, Rouen — Bagnoles-de-l'Orne July 2, 1968 16, Albi — Aurillac July 15, 1968 18th 1969 Eddy Merckx 1b, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre — Woluwe-Saint-Pierre June 29, 1969 2, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre — Maastricht June 30, 1969 6, Mulhouse — Ballon d'Alsace July 4, 1969 winner Julien Stevens 2, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre — Maastricht June 30, 1969 5, Nancy — Mulhouse July 3, 1969 72nd 1970 Eddy Merckx P, Limoges June 27, 1970 Opening stage 2, La Rochelle — Angers June 28, 1970 6, Amiens — Valenciennes July 2, 1970 winner1971 Eddy Merckx P, Mulhouse June 26, 1971 Opening stage 1b, Basel — Freiburg June 27, 1971 1c, Freiburg — Mulhouse June 27, 1971 10, Saint-Étienne — Grenoble July 7, 1971 14, Revel — Luchon July 12, 1971 winner1972 Eddy Merckx P, Angers July 1, 1972 Opening stage 1, Angers — Saint-Brieuc July 2, 1972 3b, Merlin-Plage — Merlin-Plage July 4, 1972 4, Merlin-Plage — Royan July 5, 1972 8, Pau — Luchon July 10, 1972 winner1973 Willy Teirlinck 1a, Scheveningen — Rotterdam July 1, 1973 1b, Rotterdam — Sint-Niklaas July 1, 1973 60th Herman Van Springel 1b, Rotterdam — Sint-Niklaas July 1, 1973 3, Roubaix — Reims July 3, 1973 6th 1974 Eddy Merckx P, Brest June 27, 1974 Opening stage 1, Brest — Saint-Pol-de-Léon June 28, 1974 4, Saint-Malo — Caen July 1, 1974 5, Caen — Dieppe July 2, 1974 7, Mons — Châlons-sur-Marne July 4, 1974 winner Joseph Bruyère 1, Brest — Saint-Pol-de-Léon June 28, 1974 4, Saint-Malo — Caen July 31, 1974 21st Patrick Sercu 6a, Dieppe — Harelbeke July 3, 1974 6b, Harelbeke — Harelbeke July 3, 1974 89th 1975 Eddy Merckx 6, Merlin-Plage — Merlin-Plage July 2, 1975 15, Nice — Pra-Loup July 13, 1975 1976 Freddy Maertens P, Saint-Jean-de-Monts June 24, 1976 Opening stage 9, Divonne-les-Bains — Alpe d'Huez July 4, 1976 8th Lucien Van Impe 9, Divonne-les-Bains — Alpe d'Huez July 4, 1976 12, Le Barcarès — Pyrénées 2000 July 8, 1976 14, Saint-Gaudens — Saint-Lary-Soulan July 10, 1976 winner 1978 Joseph Bruyère 8, Bordeaux — Biarritz July 7, 1978 16, Saint-Étienne — Alpe d'Huez July 16, 1978 4th 1980 Rudy Pevenage 3, Metz — Liège June 29, 1980 11, Damazan — Laplume July 8, 1980 42nd 1982 Ludo Peeters 1, Basel — Möhlin July 3, 1982 2, Basel — Nancy July 4, 1982 34th 1983 Eric Vanderaerden P, Fontenay-sous-Bois July 1, 1983 Opening stage 2, Soissons — Fontaine-au-Pire July 3, 1983 DNF 1984 Ludo Peeters 1, Bondy — Saint-Denis June 30, 1984 2, Bobigny — Louvroil July 1, 1984 57th 1985 Eric Vanderaerden 1, Vannes — Lanester June 29, 1985 4, Fougères — Pont-Audemer July 2, 1985 87th 1993 Wilfried Nelissen 2, Les Sables-d'Olonne — Vannes July 5, 1993 4, Dinard — Avranches July 7, 1993 DNF 5, Avranches — Évreux July 8, 1993 6, Évreux — Amiens July 9, 1993 Johan Museeuw 7, Péronne — Châlons-sur-Marne July 10, 1993 9, Lac de Madine — Lac de Madine July 12, 1993 50th 1994 Johan Museeuw 3, Calais — Eurotunnel July 5, 1994 4, Dover — Brighton July 6, 1994 80th 7, Rennes — Futuroscope July 9, 1994 9, Périgueux — Bergerac July 11, 1994 1995 Johan Bruyneel 7, Charleroi — Liège July 8, 1995 8, Huy — Seraing July 9, 1995 31st 2001 Marc Wauters 2, Calais — Antwerp July 9, 2001 3, Antwerp — Seraing July 10, 2001 DNF 2006 Tom Boonen 3, Esch-sur-Alzette — Valkenburg July 4, 2006 7, Saint-Grégoire — Rennes July 8, 2006 DNF 2011 Philippe Gilbert 1, Passage du Gois — Mont des Alouettes July 2, 2011 Opening stage 2, Les Essarts — Les Essarts July 3, 2011 38th 2013 Jan Bakelants 2, Bastia — Ajaccio June 30, 2013 4, Nice — Nice July 2, 2013 18th 2016 Greg Van Avermaet 5, Limoges — Le Lioran July 6, 2016 8, Pau — Luchon July 9, 2016 44th 2018 Greg Van Avermaet 3, Cholet — Cholet July 9, 2018 11, Albertville — La Rosière July 18, 2018 28th 2022 Yves Lampaert 1, Copenhagen — Copenhagen July 1, 2022 Opening stage 2, Roskilde — Nyborg July 2, 2022 119th Wout van Aert 2, Roskilde — Nyborg July 2, 2022 6, Binche — Longwy July 7, 2022 21st 2025 Jasper Philipsen 1, Lille — Lille July 5, 2025 Opening stage 2, Lauwin-Planque — Boulogne-sur-Mer July 6, 2025 DNF

Notes

See also List of Australian cyclists who have led the Tour de France general classification List of British cyclists who have led the Tour de France general classification List of Dutch cyclists who have led the Tour de France general classification Yellow jersey statistics

References

External links