Mickael Rasmuseen built up his lead in the “King Of The Mountains” competition during the Alps stages and surely looks toward this weekend to gain additional points as the riders prepare mentally and physically for the Pyrenees mountains of southern France.
Tour Great Richard Virenque (7 Time Winner Of The Polkadot Jersey) Congratulates Rasmuseen
The 2005 Tour de France has already had it’s share of sunrises such as Mickael Rasmussen who has taken a strong hold grip to the polkadot jersey. Coming into the race Rasmussen let friends and rivals know his intent saying “I intend to race for the king of the mountains competition”. However what he might not have thought about however is his current place on the GC (general classification) and potential chances of landing on the podium in Paris. Currently he is the fast rider behind Armstrong trailing only by 38 seconds, that is a slim margin and team Discovery will surely be keeping their eyes on.
About The King Of The Mountains Completion Or “The Polka Dot Jersey”
If the Green Jersey is all about plain old speed and sprinting then the polka dot jersey is about getting to the top of as many mountain tops first as possible. Bottom line is that it is awarded to the best climber at the end of the tour, climbs are “rated” on a scale of one to four and HC which is the nastiest climb and rewards the riders with the most points (20) versus a few points being awarded for a category 4 climb (which is not really a mountain pass but does offer several points). It is also important to note that on the last climb of the stage the points values double offering as much as 40 points per final climb (based on a “beyond category or HC category).
The race for the KOM (King Of The Mountains) was first started in 1975 and was sponsored by chocolate maker Poulain who wrapped their yummy chocolates in “polkadot” wrappers of course. The first rider to ever win the first polkadot jersey was Joop Zoetemelk who also became the oldest post war rider to win the Tour de France.
Pictured above Richard Virenque holds the record for the most Polka Dot Jersey wins with an amazing 7!
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