The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is a special Tour de France prize awarded to the first rider over the Col du Tourmalet. It is separate from the stage result, separate from the yellow jersey and separate from the mountains classification, even though the same rider also collects King of the Mountains points at the summit.
In the 2026 Tour de France, the Souvenir Jacques Goddet is awarded on stage 6 from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre. The first rider over the Col du Tourmalet receives the €5,000 prize, along with 20 mountains classification points.
The timing makes it a useful live-race hook. Stage 6 is not finishing on the Tourmalet, but the Tourmalet is still the symbolic climb of the day. The race then descends and continues to the long summit finish at Gavarnie-Gèdre, which means the rider who wins the Souvenir Jacques Goddet may not necessarily win the stage.
For the full stage context, see our Tour de France 2026 stage 6 preview and our stage 6 live viewing and start time update.
Quick answer: what is the Souvenir Jacques Goddet?
The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is a Tour de France special prize given to the first rider to reach the summit of the Col du Tourmalet. In 2026, it is worth €5,000 and is awarded during stage 6, where the Tourmalet also carries 20 points for the mountains classification.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Prize | Souvenir Jacques Goddet |
| Awarded to | First rider over the Col du Tourmalet |
| 2026 stage | Stage 6, Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre |
| 2026 prize value | €5,000 |
| Mountains points on offer | 20 points to first over the Tourmalet |
| Linked climb | Col du Tourmalet |
| Named after | Jacques Goddet, former Tour de France director |
| Same as polka-dot jersey? | No, it is a one-off special prize |
Who was Jacques Goddet?
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and long-time Tour de France director. He is one of the central administrative figures in the race’s modern history, having helped guide the Tour through much of the 20th century.
The Souvenir Jacques Goddet honours that legacy. It is tied most closely to the Col du Tourmalet, the Pyrenean climb with which the Tour has built one of its strongest historical associations.
That is why the prize feels slightly different from a normal mountain prime. It is not just a financial bonus. It is a named tribute attached to one of the race’s most famous climbs.
Why is Jacques Goddet linked to the Tourmalet?
The Tourmalet is one of the defining climbs of the Tour de France. It was first used by the race in 1910 and has since become one of the Tour’s most repeated and most recognisable mountain passes.
Goddet’s name is linked to the climb through both memory and symbolism. The Tourmalet represents the old idea of the Tour: big mountains, suffering, selection and prestige. Naming a prize there after a long-serving Tour director gives the climb another layer of history.
For riders, crossing the Tourmalet first is already a significant act. Doing it when the Souvenir Jacques Goddet is on offer adds a small but meaningful line to the result sheet.
What happens on the 2026 Tourmalet stage?
Stage 6 of the 2026 Tour de France runs 186.2km from Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre, with 4,100m of climbing and five categorised climbs. The Tourmalet comes at kilometre 147.8, with 38.4km still to race before the finish.
The climbs on the stage are:
| Climb | Category | Position | Prize / points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte de Loucrup | 4 | km 50.9 | 1 point |
| Côte de Mauvezin | 3 | km 77.3 | 2 points |
| Col d’Aspin | 1 | km 118.1 | 10 points |
| Col du Tourmalet | HC | km 147.8 | Souvenir Jacques Goddet, 20 points |
| Gavarnie-Gèdre | 2 | Finish | 5 points |
The Tourmalet is therefore the biggest mountains classification point on the day, even though it is not the finish. The final category 2 climb to Gavarnie-Gèdre still decides the stage, but the Tourmalet decides the special prize.
That distinction matters. A rider can go all-in for the Tourmalet, take the money and the mountain points, then fade before the finish. Another rider can ignore the prize, ride more patiently and win the stage.
The full 2026 route picture is covered in our Tour de France 2026 full route guide.
How much is the Souvenir Jacques Goddet worth?
The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is worth €5,000 in the 2026 Tour de France.
That is a small figure compared with the €500,000 awarded to the final Tour winner, but it is still a meaningful prize, especially for breakaway riders, wildcard teams and climbers chasing visibility. Our Tour de France 2026 prize money guide includes the Souvenir Jacques Goddet among the race’s special bonus prizes.
The value is also symbolic. Winning the prime means the rider was first over the Tourmalet on a Tour day where the climb had its own named prize. That can matter more to a rider’s palmarès than the cash itself.
Is the Souvenir Jacques Goddet the same as the polka-dot jersey?
No. The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is not the same as the polka-dot jersey.
The polka-dot jersey is the mountains classification. It is a running competition across the whole Tour, with riders scoring points on categorised climbs. The rider with the most mountain points leads the classification and wears the polka-dot jersey.
The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is a one-off prize. It goes to the first rider over the Tourmalet on the day the prize is awarded. In 2026, that same rider also gets 20 mountain points, but those points are only part of the wider KoM competition.
| Feature | Souvenir Jacques Goddet | Polka-dot jersey |
|---|---|---|
| Type | One-off special prize | Race-long classification |
| Awarded for | First over the Tourmalet | Most mountain points overall |
| Prize in 2026 | €5,000 | Daily and final classification prizes |
| Jersey? | No | Yes, polka-dot jersey |
| Can change later? | No, once won it is won | Yes, lead can change every stage |
| 2026 stage relevance | Stage 6 | Whole Tour |
This is why a rider can win the Souvenir Jacques Goddet without winning the polka-dot jersey. Equally, the final King of the Mountains winner may not have been first over the Tourmalet.
For a wider explanation of the competition, see our Tour de France 2026 climbers guide and our Tour de France 2026 jerseys explained guide.
How is it different from the Souvenir Henri Desgrange?
The Souvenir Jacques Goddet and Souvenir Henri Desgrange are both special mountain prizes, but they are not the same.
The Souvenir Henri Desgrange usually goes to the first rider over the highest point of that year’s Tour. It honours Henri Desgrange, the founder of the Tour de France. The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is linked to the Col du Tourmalet and honours Jacques Goddet, the former Tour director.
| Prize | Usual meaning |
|---|---|
| Souvenir Henri Desgrange | First rider over the highest point of the Tour |
| Souvenir Jacques Goddet | First rider over the Col du Tourmalet |
In 2026, the Tour’s special bonus prizes include the Souvenir Jacques Goddet on the Tourmalet during stage 6 and the Souvenir Henri Desgrange on the Col du Galibier during stage 20. Our Tour de France 2026 queen stage guide explains why the Galibier prize arrives much later in the race.
Why does the 2026 Tourmalet prime matter tactically?
The Tourmalet prime matters because stage 6 does not finish at the top of the Tourmalet.
That creates a split objective. Riders in the breakaway may want the Souvenir Jacques Goddet and the 20 KoM points, even if they are not certain they can win the stage. GC teams may not care about the prize directly, but their pacing on the Tourmalet could decide who is first over the summit.
A rider targeting the Souvenir Jacques Goddet has to judge several things:
| Tactical question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is the breakaway strong enough? | The prize is likely to go to the break if it has a big gap |
| Are KoM points the main target? | The Tourmalet offers 20 points, more than the finish |
| Can the rider still contest the stage? | The finish is still 38.4km away |
| Will GC teams chase hard? | UAE, Visma or Red Bull pacing could bring the break close |
| Is the rider too high on GC? | Dangerous riders may not be allowed freedom |
The awkward part is that the Tourmalet is hard enough to tempt an attack, but far enough from the finish to punish anyone who goes too deep. That is also why stage 6 features in our guide to the best GC attack days at the Tour de France 2026.
Who are the likely candidates today?
The most likely Souvenir Jacques Goddet winner is a climber from the breakaway, not necessarily one of the overall favourites.
The stage comes early in the Tour, Torstein Træen is still in yellow, and Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard are level with each other at 7:53 down on GC. That means the main favourites may test each other on the Tourmalet, but they may not want to spend the whole day chasing a breakaway purely for the special prize.
The current mountains classification also matters. Alex Baudin leads the polka-dot standings, while Alex Molenaar had been one of the obvious candidates before his crash and withdrawal ahead of stage 6. Our Alex Molenaar injury update explains why Caja Rural-Seguros RGA have lost one of the early KoM contenders.
| Rider type | Possible candidates | Why they fit |
|---|---|---|
| Polka-dot contenders | Alex Baudin, Nicolas Prodhomme, Raul Garcia Pierna | Already active in the mountains battle |
| Breakaway climbers | Lenny Martinez, Pablo Castrillo, Marco Frigo | Can target the Tourmalet without needing to win GC |
| Strong team climbers | Brandon McNulty, Jan Tratnik | Useful if their teams want to place riders ahead |
| GC favourites | Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel | Only likely if the Tourmalet becomes a full GC showdown |
| Opportunist attackers | Strong non-GC riders in the early move | May see the Tourmalet as a stage-within-a-stage target |
Baudin is the obvious name if the mountains classification is the priority. Martinez is the obvious stage-hunter profile if Bahrain Victorious want to race aggressively. Pogačar or Vingegaard could take it if the GC race detonates on the climb, but that would probably mean a much more explosive stage than some teams may want this early.
The wider climber field is covered in our best climbers at the Tour de France 2026 guide.
Could the Souvenir Jacques Goddet decide the polka-dot jersey?
It will not decide the polka-dot jersey on its own, but it can change the competition sharply.
The Tourmalet offers 20 points to the first rider over the top. That is more than the final climb to Gavarnie-Gèdre, which offers 5 points to the first rider at the finish.
That means a rider who wins the Souvenir Jacques Goddet can make a major move in the mountains classification even if they do not win the stage. For a rider like Baudin, the Tourmalet could be about defending the jersey. For riders just behind, it could be the best chance so far to take control.
This is where the special prize and the polka-dot jersey overlap. The Souvenir Jacques Goddet gives the climb its name and cash reward. The mountains points give it classification importance.
Why fans should watch the Tourmalet even though the stage finishes later
The Tourmalet may be the most important point of stage 6 even though it is not the finish.
It decides the Souvenir Jacques Goddet, offers the biggest mountain-points haul of the day, and comes at the point where GC teams may first put real pressure on the yellow jersey. The summit is still 38.4km from the line, but that distance makes the climb more interesting rather than less important.
The Tourmalet is also the point where the stage’s two races can split. The breakaway may be chasing the special prize and KoM points, while the GC group may be trying to test Torstein Træen, Pogačar, Vingegaard and the other overall contenders. For the full yellow jersey context, see our GC and jerseys after Tour de France 2026 stage 5 update and our explainer on why Pogačar and Vingegaard are 7:53 down.
A rider first over the Tourmalet has not won the stage. But they have won something the Tour values enough to name, record and pay separately.
That is the appeal of the Souvenir Jacques Goddet. It turns the Tourmalet into a race within the race.
FAQs
What is the Souvenir Jacques Goddet?
The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is a special Tour de France prize awarded to the first rider over the Col du Tourmalet.
How much is the Souvenir Jacques Goddet worth?
In the 2026 Tour de France, the Souvenir Jacques Goddet is worth €5,000.
Who receives the Souvenir Jacques Goddet in 2026?
The first rider over the Col du Tourmalet on stage 6 of the 2026 Tour de France receives the prize.
Is the Souvenir Jacques Goddet the same as the polka-dot jersey?
No. The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is a one-off special prize. The polka-dot jersey is the race-long mountains classification.
Does the winner also get mountains points?
Yes. In 2026, the Col du Tourmalet gives 20 mountains classification points to the first rider over the summit, as well as the Souvenir Jacques Goddet.
Why is Jacques Goddet linked to the Tourmalet?
Jacques Goddet was a long-time Tour de France director, and the prize in his memory is closely associated with the Col du Tourmalet, one of the Tour’s most historic climbs.
Can a GC rider win the Souvenir Jacques Goddet?
Yes. A GC rider can win it if the favourites are at the front over the Tourmalet. In 2026, though, the prize may be more likely to go to a breakaway rider because the summit comes 38.4km before the finish.
