The Vuelta España King of Mountains Classification is a secondary competition after the General Classification and Points Classification.
The King of Mountains Classification started the same year as the Vuelta España in 1935. Up until 2005, the leader wore a green jersey. Between 2006 and 2009, the leader wore an orange jersey.
From 2010 onwards, the King of Mountains Classification leader will wear a white jersey with blue dots throughout the race (except Stage 1). The rider who leads the classification at the finish of the last stage in Madrid will be the King of Mountains Classification winner.
Points are awarded to the first six riders to crest each categorized climb. The climbs are categorized as Cima Alberto Fernandez, Especial (ESP), 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, with ESP being the steepest.
Cima Alberto Fernandez is the highest point of each year’s Vuelta Espana. The Especial (ESP) is similar to a Hors catégorie (HC) climb in the Tour de France.
How points are awarded
The points are awarded according to the table below.
| Category | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cima Alberto Fernandez | 20 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Especial (ESP) | 15 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | |
| First | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
| Second | 5 | 3 | 1 | |||
| Third | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Multiple King of Mountains Classification winners
50 different riders have won the King of Mountains Classification in 77 editions.
- Spanish rider, José Luis Laguía won a record five times in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, and 1965.
- José María Jiménez (Spain) won four times in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001.
- David Moncoutié (France) is the only rider who has won four consecutive times from 2008 to 2011.
| Wins | Rider | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | José Luis Laguía | Spain | 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986 |
| 4 | David Moncoutié | France | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| 4 | José María Jiménez | Spain | 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 |
| 3 | Andrés Oliva | Spain | 1975, 1976, 1978 |
| 3 | Antonio Karmany | Spain | 1960, 1961, 1962 |
| 3 | Julio Jiménez | Spain | 1963, 1964, 1965 |
| 2 | Emilio Rodriguez | Spain | 1946, 1947, 1950 |
| 2 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | 1957, 1958 |
| 2 | Felipe Yáñez | Spain | 1979, 1984 |
| 2 | Félix Cárdenas | Colombia | 2003, 2004 |
| 2 | José Luis Abilleira | Spain | 1973, 1974 |
| 2 | Julián Berrendero | Spain | 1942, 1945 |
| 2 | Luis Herrera | Colombia | 1987, 1991 |
| 2 | Omar Fraile | Spain | 2015, 2016 |
| 2 | Tony Rominger | Switzerland | 1993, 1996 |
Past King of Mountains Classification winners
49 different riders have won the King of Mountain Classification in 77 editions from 1935 to 2020.
| Year | First | Country | Second | Country | Third | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Edoardo Molinar | Italy | Luigi Barral | Italy | Leo Amberg | Switzerland |
| 1936 | Salvador Molina | Spain | Julián Berrendero | Spain | Spain Fermín Trueba | |
| 1937 – 1940 | No race | |||||
| 1941 | Fermin Trueba | Spain | Julián Berrendero | Spain | José Jabardo | Spain |
| 1942 | Julián Berrendero | Spain | Pierre Brambilla | Italy | Isidro Berajano | Spain |
| 1943 – 1944 | No race | |||||
| 1945 | Julián Berrendero | Spain | Joao Rebelo | Pedro Font | Spain | |
| 1946 | Emilio Rodriguez | Spain | Dalmacio Langarica | Spain | Julián Berrendero | Spain |
| 1947 | Emilio Rodriguez | Spain | Martin Mancisidor | Spain | Manuel Costa | Spain |
| 1948 | Bernardo Ruiz | Spain | Emilio Rodriguez | Spain | Bernardo Capo | Spain |
| 1949 | No race | |||||
| 1950 | Emilio Rodriguez | Spain | José Serra | Spain | Jesús Loroño | Spain |
| 1951 – 1954 | No race | |||||
| 1955 | Giuseppe Buratti | Italy | Antonio Gelabert | Spain | Gilbert Bauvin | France |
| 1956 | Nino Defilippis | Italy | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Antonio Suárez | Spain |
| 1957 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Carmelo Morales | Spain | Benigno Aspuru | Spain |
| 1958 | Federico Bahamontes | Spain | Jesús Loroño | Spain | Hilaire Couvreur | |
| 1959 | Antonio Suárez | Spain | Richard Van Genechten | Belgium | Antonio Karmany | Spain |
| 1960 | Antonio Karmany | Spain | Antonio Suárez | Spain | Frans De Mulder | |
| 1961 | Antonio Karmany | Spain | Julio Jiménez | Spain | José Perez-FRs | Spain |
| 1962 | Antonio Karmany | Spain | José Segu | Spain | Julio Jiménez | Spain |
| 1963 | Julio Jiménez | Spain | Antonio Karmany | Spain | Guy Ignolin | France |
| 1964 | Julio Jiménez | Spain | José Perez-FRs | Spain | Ventura Diaz | Spain |
| 1965 | Julio Jiménez | Spain | Antonio Gomez del Moral | Spain | Esteban Martin | Spain |
| 1966 | Gregorio San Miguel | Spain | Domingo Perurena | Spain | Mariano Díaz | Spain |
| 1967 | Mariano Díaz | Spain | Gregorio San Miguel | Spain | Vicente Lopez-Carril | Spain |
| 1968 | Francisco Gabica | Spain | Antonio Gomez del Moral | Spain | José Perez-FRs | Spain |
| 1969 | Luis Ocaña | Spain | Roger Pingeon | France | Gilbert Bellone | France |
| 1970 | Agustín Tamames | Spain | Ventura Diaz | Spain | Joaquim Galera | Spain |
| 1971 | Joop Zoetemelk | Netherlands | Luis Balague | Spain | Wilfried David | |
| 1972 | José Manuel Fuente | Spain | Andrés Oliva | Spain | Miguel María Lasa | Spain |
| 1973 | José Luis Abilleira | Spain | Eddy Merckx | Belgium | Luis Balague | Spain |
| 1974 | José Luis Abilleira | Spain | José Manuel Fuente | Spain | Luis Ocaña | Spain |
| 1975 | Andrés Oliva | Spain | Pedro Torres | Spain | Luis Ocaña | Spain |
| 1976 | Andrés Oliva | Spain | Ludo Loos | Belgium | Joaquim Agostinho | Portugal |
| 1977 | Pedro Torres | Spain | Andrés Oliva | Spain | Ludo Loos | |
| 1978 | Andrés Oliva | Spain | Enrique Cima | Spain | Bernard Hinault | France |
| 1979 | Felipe Yáñez | Spain | Vicente Belda | Spain | Joop Zoetemelk | Netherlands |
| 1980 | Juan Fernández | Spain | Anastasio Greciano | Spain | José Luis Laguía | Spain |
| 1981 | José Luis Laguía | Spain | Vicente Belda | Spain | José Luis Cerron | Spain |
| 1982 | José Luis Laguía | Spain | Juan Fernández | Spain | José Recio | Spain |
| 1983 | José Luis Laguía | Spain | Fiorenzo Aliverti | Italy | Marino Lejarreta | Spain |
| 1984 | Felipe Yáñez | Spain | José Luis Laguía | Spain | Eric Caritoux | France |
| 1985 | José Luis Laguía | Spain | Robert Millar | Great Britain | Francisco Rodríguez | Colombia |
| 1986 | José Luis Laguía | Spain | Álvaro Pino | Spain | Eduardo Chozas | Spain |
| 1987 | Luis Herrera | Colombia | Vicente Belda | Spain | Henri Abadie | France |
| 1988 | Álvaro Pino | Spain | Anselmo Fuerte | Spain | Seán Kelly | Ireland |
| 1989 | Óscar Vargas | Colombia | Pedro Delgado | Spain | Ivan Ivanov | Soviet Union |
| 1990 | José Martín Farfán | Colombia | Álvaro Mejía | Colombia | Pablo Wilches | Colombia |
| 1991 | Luis Herrera | Colombia | Marino Lejarreta | Spain | Fabio Parra | Colombia |
| 1992 | Carlos Hernandez | Spain | Tony Rominger | Switzerland | Julio Cesar Cadena | Colombia |
| 1993 | Tony Rominger | Switzerland | Alex Zülle | Switzerland | Antonio Miguel Diaz | Spain |
| 1994 | Luc Leblanc | France | Michele Coppolillo | Italy | Tony Rominger | Switzerland |
| 1995 | Laurent Jalabert | France | Roberto Pistore | Italy | Alex Zülle | Switzerland |
| 1996 | Tony Rominger | Switzerland | Laurent Jalabert | France | Dmitri Konysjev | Russia |
| 1997 | José María Jiménez | Spain | Alex Zülle | Switzerland | Laurent Jalabert | France |
| 1998 | José María Jiménez | Spain | Laurent Jalabert | France | Fernando Escartín | Spain |
| 1999 | José María Jiménez | Spain | Frank Vandenbroucke | Belgium | Roberto Heras | Spain |
| 2000 | Carlos Sastre | Spain | Roberto Heras | Spain | Roberto Laiseka | Spain |
| 2001 | José María Jiménez | Spain | Claus Michael Møller | Denmark | Juan Miguel Mercado | Spain |
| 2002 | Aitor Osa | Spain | Roberto Heras | Spain | Juan Antonio Flecha | Spain |
| 2003 | Félix Cárdenas | Colombia | Aitor Osa | Spain | Joan Horrach | Spain |
| 2004 | Félix Cárdenas | Colombia | Roberto Heras | Spain | Santiago Pérez | Spain |
| 2005 | Joaquim Rodríguez | Spain | Eladio Jiménez | Spain | Roberto Heras | Spain |
| 2006 | Egoi Martínez | Spain | Pietro Caucchioli | Italy | Alejandro Valverde | Spain |
| 2007 | Denis Menchov | Russia | Jurgen Van Goolen | Belgium | Carlos Sastre | Spain |
| 2008 | David Moncoutié | France | Christophe Kern | France | Alberto Contador | Spain |
| 2009 | David Moncoutié | France | David de la Fuente | Spain | Julián Sánchez | Spain |
| 2010 | David Moncoutié | France | Serafín Martínez | Spain | Ezequiel Mosquera | Spain |
| 2011 | David Moncoutié | France | Matteo Montaguti | Italy | Juan José Cobo | Spain |
| 2012 | Simon Clarke | Australia | David de la Fuente | Spain | Joaquim Rodríguez | Spain |
| 2013 | Nicolas Edet | France | Chris Horner | United States | Daniele Ratto | Italy |
| 2014 | Luis León Sánchez | Spain | Alberto Contador | Spain | Alejandro Valverde | Spain |
| 2015 | Omar Fraile | Spain | Rubén Plaza | Spain | Fränk Schleck | Luxembourg |
| 2016 | Omar Fraile | Spain | Kenny Elissonde | France | Robert Gesink | Netherlands |
| 2017 | Davide Villella | Colombia | Miguel Ángel López | Colombia | Chris Froome | Great Britain |
| 2018 | Thomas De Gendt | Belgium | Bauke Mollema | Netherlands | Luis Ángel Maté | Spain |
| 2019 | Geoffrey Bouchard | France | Ángel Madrazo | Spain | Sergio Samitier | Spain |
| 2020 | Guillaume Martin | France | Tim Wellens | Belgium | Richard Carapaz | Ecuador |
| 2021 | Michael Storer | Australia | Romain Bardet | France | Primož Roglič | Slovenia |
King of Mountains Classification winners by country
| Country | Wins |
|---|---|
| Spain | 50 |
| France | 9 |
| Colombia | 7 |
| Italy | 3 |
| Australia | 2 |
| Switzerland | 2 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| Russia | 1 |
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