This is my first year watching the Tour de France. I'm a little confused. I don't believe Cadel Evans has won any of the stages and yet he got the yellow jersey at the end of one of the stages. How does that happen?

Because the Yellow Jersey goes to the overall leader. Currently, Sastre has completed all the stages in the least amount of time. Therefore, he is in yellow.

If you look at the General Classification, you will see sprinters that win stages, hours behind. Oscar Freiere for example. While he has won stages, his overall time is over two hours behind the overall leader.

Welcome to the sport!

If you go here and click on the Tour info, which is on the left side of their banner page, look at Stage 19 results, scan down to the General Classification, you will see what I mean. (http://www.cyclingnews.com)

Don't confuse stage winners with the overall leader. That's the rider that completes the 2,500 miles or so in the least amount of time.

Don't confuse stage winners with the overall leader. That's the rider that completes the 2,500 miles or so in the least amount of time.
That's the beauty of the tdf (to me at least). There are literally hundreds of races, the yellow jersey is just one.

I remember watching the Tour back in 1976 when Freddy Maertens won 7 stages plus the prologue and I was thinking, "How come he's not the winner?" Luckily my Dad taught me about how the whole thing works. Road Warrior gave you some good info...and welcome to the fun world of bike racing!

i wonder why it is yellow?
wasn't it because the organising paper was yellow?

It is a lot like a golf tournament

The winner doesn't have to shoot the lowest round every day, they just have the lowest CUMULATIVE score. Same as the tour. There have been many TDF where the winner never won a stage.