The Tour de France may be one of the most exacting sporting events in the world, but it also rewards its riders at every step of the way with its coloured jerseys to recognise particular achievements.
The best known of these symbolic shirts is the yellow jersey, which is given to the leader of the overall race at the end of each stage.
There are also polka dot, green and white jerseys, each of which recognises a different feat.
How are the jerseys distributed? The Sporting News has the details of some of the shirts we'll be seeing at the Tour de France 2023.
MORE: How to watch the 2023 Tour de France
Tour de France 2023 jerseys explained
Yellow jersey
The rider with the fastest time across the Tour de France overall has the honour of wearing the iconic yellow jersey, or maillot jaune.
Because it's decided on pace rather than points, it might mean a rider who finishes down the pecking order for a certain stage still dons yellow at the start of the next section because of their aggregate time advantage.
Tactics often play a part in the identity of the yellow jersey recipient as the Tour de France develops: teammates have often worked together over the years to ensure a member of their squad keeps or takes the lead in the general classification.
Reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard won his first yellow jersey at the 2022 event.
MORE: Who is Tadej Pogacar? Cycling superstar looking to make history
Polka dot jersey
The polka dot jersey is awarded to the leader of the climber classification, also known as King of the Mountains.
Points are given out for each climb at the Tour de France, awarded according to the difficulty of each ascent.
The jersey was given its polka dot design in 1975, inspired by track-racing specialist Henri Lemoine, who raced between the 1930s and 1950s.
Jumbo-Visma's Vingegaard was also crowned King of the Mountains in 2022.
Green jersey
Points classification winners can earn the green jersey, or maillot vert, in sprints during stages, with the most points awarded to the riders who cross the finishing line in the top 25 positions.
The points correspond to the ranking of the day's stage, which depends on factors such as how flat the section is.
Vingegaard's team-mate Wout van Aert stormed to glory in the points classification in 2022, completing a remarkable Tour for Jumbo-Visma, whose riders also won six stages between them.
White jersey
Riders aged 25 and under have the opportunity to win the white jersey (maillot blanc) by recording the lowest overall time in the race.
The jersey originally rewarded the leader of the combined classification when it first appeared in 1968, corresponding to the points and mountains standings. It became a jersey exclusively for younger riders from 1975.
Tadej Pogacar might have been unable to defend his GC crown in 2022, but he did collect a third consecutive white jersey.
