Days in Yellow at le Tour de France

Rank	Rider	Country	Yellow Jerseys	Years Rider Wore Yellow
1st	Eddy Merckx	Belgium	96	1969, 1970, 71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ‘75
2nd	Lance Armstrong	United States	83	1999, 2000, ’01, ’02, ’03, ’04, ‘05
3rd	Bernard Hinault	France	75	1978, ‘79, 1980, ’81, ’82, ’84, ’85, ‘86
4th	Miguel Indurain	Spain	60	1991, ’92, ’93, ’94, ‘95
5th	Jacques Anquetil	France	50	1957, 1961, ’62, ’63, ’64,
6th	Antonin Magne	France	38	1931, ‘34
7th	Philippe Thys	Belgium	37	1913, ’14, 1920
=7th	Nicolas Frantz	Luxembourg	37	1927, ’28, ‘29
9	André Leducq	France	35	1929, 1930, ’32, ‘38
10th	Ottavio Bottecchia	Italy	34	1923, ’24, ‘25
=10th	Louison Bobet	France	34	1948, 1953, ’54, ‘55
12th	Sylvére Maes	Belgium	26	1936, ’37, ‘39
=12th	René Vietto	France	26	1939, 1947
=12th	Fabian Cancellara	Switzerland	26	2004, ’07, ’09, 2010, 2012
15th	François Faber	Luxembourg	25	1909, 1910, 1911

Note: Riders italicised are currently still active. Years in bold indicate when the rider won the overall classification.




After the conclusion of Stage Three to Boulogne-sur-Mer Fabian Cancellara ensured that by finishing with the bunch he would be wearing yellow in Stage Four and become the outright 11th ranked rider in yellow jersey wearers. He will also become the rider to have spent the most time yellow without ever having won the overall classification. Cancellara had been tied in 12th with René Vietto who had worn yellow at the 1939 and 1947 Tour’s but had also not won the overall. There will be a gap of seven days between Cancellara and the equal 10th placed riders Ottavio Bottecchia and Louison Bobet after Stage Four. It seems unlikely that Cancellara will catch them this Tour but he could surpass them in years to come. Cancellara may lose the yellow jersey after Saturday’s stage to La Planche des Belle Filles but could regain it in the ITT two days later.

Bernard Hinault holds the record for the most years in which a rider has worn yellow with eight. Having won the Tour on five occasions it is no surprise to see the Frenchman with 75 days in yellow. Hinault may hold the record for most years in yellow but he sits behind Lance Armstrong who spent 83 days in yellow across seven consecutive years and Eddy Merckx who wore yellow on 96 occasions also in seven consecutive years in the overall. The top five positions are taken up by riders who have won the Tour on five occasions or more and have spent at least 50 days in yellow in doing so. Of riders currently racing Cancellara is the only realistic hope of challenging these riders.

Several riders in the top 15 have won the overall in the first year that they pulled on the maillot jaune. These include the first seven on the list as well as the equal 12th ranked Sylvére Maes and 15th ranked François Faber. Of the favourites for the overall classification this year, only Cadel Evans has worn the maillot jaune. Frank Schleck has worn the maillot jaune for two days but is an unlikely candidate for the overall this year having said that a Tour victory is beyond him after an indifferent season so far. The amount of riders to have worn yellow may therefore increase as the 2012 Tour heats up. Bradley Wiggins could just be the next rider to pull on yellow as almost the first 44 riders in the GC who are all within a minute of Cancellara. Stage Seven with the first summit finish of 2012 could just see the maillot jersey change hands with another rider adding their name to the 207 others who have worn yellow.