2026 Tour de France White Jersey favourites | Del toro or Seixas? It might be too close to call!
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Follow us on GoogleEvery year, the Tour de France showcases the greatest young talents. The battle for the young rider classification (white jersey) is one to watch closely. Tadej Pogacar was unchallenged for years. But at the ripe old age of 27, the Slovenian from UAE Emirates-XRG is too old for the white jersey. The classification is wide open again. Who will succeed Florian Lipowitz? IDL Pro Cycling reviews the ten candidates.
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Every year, the white jersey is contested by riders who turned 25 in the year of the Tour de France or are younger than that. This means that all riders born in 2001 or later compete for the young rider classification. There aren’t any strange rules here; the young rider who is highest in the general classification wins the white jersey in Paris.
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Tour de France Youth Classification recent winners
2025 Florian Lipowitz
2024 Remco Evenepoel
2023 Tadej Pogacar
2022 Tadej Pogacar
2021 Tadej Pogacar
2020 Tadej Pogacar
2019 Egan Bernal
2018 Pierre Latour
2017 Simon Yates
2016 Adam Yates
2024 Remco Evenepoel
2023 Tadej Pogacar
2022 Tadej Pogacar
2021 Tadej Pogacar
2020 Tadej Pogacar
2019 Egan Bernal
2018 Pierre Latour
2017 Simon Yates
2016 Adam Yates
Florian Lipowitz was the top young rider in 2025, finishing third in the overall standings.
Young Riders Classification favourites, 2026 Tour de France
To compile this list, current and former editors of *In de Leiderstrui* were asked to name their top ten in response to the question: “Who has the best chance of winning the young riders’ classification in the Tour de France?” Each top ten selection was assigned points according to the following scale: 12 points for first place, 10 for second, and then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point.
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10. Davide Piganzoli (23) - Visma | Lease a Bike
We’ll start the list with a man who wasn’t actually supposed to ride the Tour de France at all. Davide Piganzoli rode a fantastic Giro d'Italia and played a crucial role in Jonas Vingegaard’s overall victory for Visma | Lease a Bike. The 23-year-old Italian then took some time off and, with a vengeance, stormed to stage and overall victories at La Route d'Occitanie.
When Wout van Aert was sidelined by an elbow injury at Visma, virtually no one thought of Piganzoli, but within the team, the situation was different. The climber had recovered from the Giro and is now poised to play a key role for Vingegaard in the Tour once again. In the Giro, he finished eighth as a domestique. If he proves once again to be a top-notch domestique and the last man standing for his leader, the white jersey could very well be an option.
9. Lennert Van Eetvelt (24) - Lotto-Intermarché
Lennert Van Eetvelt is an underdog when it comes to a strong overall finish and the white jersey in the Tour de France, but even underdogs can ultimately prove themselves. Oscar Onley—number four in the 2025 standings—was ranked seventh on the list last year. Van Eetvelt has what it takes, even if he isn’t always convinced of it himself.
In the Giro d'Italia, for example, he went for a stage win, even though he was climbing with the best. That turned out to be a good choice, because the Belgian rider from Lotto-Intermarché fell just short. He then dropped out, which meant his preparation for the Tour wasn’t quite ideal. But perhaps that also means he’s a bit fresher and ready to go all out and surprise everyone.
8. Kévin Vauquelin (25) – Netcompany INEOS
The big surprise of the 2025 Tour de France is returning to his home country, this time wearing the Netcompany INEOS jersey. This is his last chance to compete in the young riders’ classification, a battle he fought last year against Oscar Onley and Florian Lipowitz well into the third week. Lipowitz won, but is now too old to compete. Onley is an INEOS teammate, but he is injured and will not be participating in the Tour.
So Vauquelin can go for it, but he did get sick after the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, so his preparation wasn’t ideal. Last year’s course was also really well-suited to him, though Vauquelin has definitely made strides at Netcompany INEOS. For example, he finished fifth in the Algarve and fourth in Paris-Nice—not bad results at all.
7. Carlos Rodriguez (25) - Netcompany INEOS
How is it that, in 2026, Carlos Rodriguez is still only 25 years old and therefore eligible to compete in the youth classification? He has already ridden five Grand Tours, finished fifth and seventh in the Tour de France, and even won a stage in 2023. He wasn’t initially in the running for a spot on Netcompany INEOS ahead of the Tour, but now that the British team has seen riders drop out, Rodriguez is back in the picture.
And that’s a good thing, because the savvy Spaniard improved as the season went on and was already in good form during the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Rodriguez tends to end up on the ground when there are crashes, so staying healthy and fit is a must if he’s going to contend for a top-ten finish and the white jersey. If he can manage that, Rodriguez is tough enough to pull off a surprise.
6. Lenny Martinez (22) - Bahrain Victorious
In principle, we won’t see Lenny Martinez competing for the general classification in the Tour de France. He’s aiming for stage wins and the mountains classification, but history has shown time and again that riders who attack in the first two weeks can easily stick around into the third week. So we certainly aren’t ruling out Martinez in the fight for the white jersey.
Unlike his teammate Tiberi, mentioned below, Martinez had already shown excellent form on several occasions in 2026. He won a stage at Paris-Nice ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, finished second behind the Dane in Catalonia, and came in third at the Tour de Romandie. If a top finish looks likely in the third week of the Tour, Martinez will gladly shift his ambitions toward a top-ten finish and the white jersey.
5. Antonio Tiberi (25) - Bahrain Victorious
Here’s another rider from Bahrain Victorious—and, on paper, the only team leader aiming for the general classification. While Martinez’s attacking instincts could propel him high in the race for the white jersey, Tiberi’s success will hinge more on sheer tenacity. If the Italian is in good shape, it’s very hard to shake him off. And he’s a formidable competitor in the time trial.
That way, a scenario could unfold in which Tiberi finds himself in or near the white jersey after two weeks. He’ll then pull thousands of funny faces to defend that jersey. Just as teammate Afonso Eulálio did so beautifully in the Giro d’Italia, and just as Tiberi won the white jersey in the 2024 Giro d’Italia, finishing fifth overall.
4. Cian Uijtdebroeks (23) - Movistar
All of Belgium will be curious to see how Cian Uijtdebroeks performs in his very first Tour de France, even though he’ll likely be somewhat overshadowed by Remco Evenepoel during the race. The 23-year-old climber from Movistar won’t mind that, though, because he has been calmly and methodically preparing for the Tour de France.
Movistar has built a full team around Uijtdebroeks, and if he stays healthy, he could become a dangerous contender, especially in the third week. The balance of power with the riders ranked slightly higher than him could then shift, because for them it’s their first or second time in a Grand Tour, while Uijtdebroeks already has some Grand Tours under his belt.
3. Juan Ayuso (23) - Lidl-Trek
Juan Ayuso has been competing for years, but the Spaniard is still only 23 years old. After his move from UAE Emirates-XRG to Lidl-Trek, everyone is curious to see how Ayuso will perform in his first Tour de France as the undisputed team leader. The podium is the goal, and if he achieves that, the white jersey will automatically come into play.
Ayuso has an advantage over the two young riders we’ve ranked above him on this list: he already has five Grand Tours under his belt. In 2022, he finished third in the Vuelta a España on his Grand Tour debut, followed a year later by a fourth-place finish in the same race. If he stays in good physical shape, we can usually count on an outstanding performance from Ayuso in the Tour.
2. Paul Seixas (19) - Decathlon CMA CGM
Expectations are high for Paul Seixas ahead of his very first Tour de France. The 19-year-old Frenchman appears to be among the very best, just behind Pogacar (and perhaps Jonas Vingegaard as well), as he proved with his overall victory in the Tour of the Basque Country and his second-place finishes behind Pogi in Strade Bianche and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
Seixas isn’t expected to give the Slovenian a run for his money in the Tour; he’ll have to prove himself first in three weeks. Add to that a crash in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and we’re placing Seixas on this list—just as in the battle for the general classification—right behind the number 1. The battle for the white jersey, however, could be more exciting than ever.
1. Isaac del Toro (22) - UAE Emirates-XRG
Since the young riders’ classification is based on the general classification, it should come as no surprise that Isaac del Toro tops this list. We had already ranked the 22-year-old Mexican from UAE Emirates-XRG third in the battle for the yellow jersey when it comes to the most realistic overall winner of the Tour de France. And that on his debut...
The climber took another step forward in 2026, after breaking through last year with a second-place finish in the Giro d'Italia and ultimately 18 victories. This year, he won three major WorldTour races: the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Winning the Tour will be difficult as a teammate of Tadej Pogacar, but the white jersey could very well be Del Toro’s.
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026
- Pointing to three former riders doesn’t settle what nearly 100 people have reportedly shared. Hopefully the review looks at the team’s systems and culture, not just whose version of events sounds more convincing.julien13-11-2026
- Eight questions or 23? That’s a pretty significant difference in the accounts, and it’d be useful to know exactly what was sent and when.robert6513-11-2026
- Kittel’s position sounds more nuanced than Spekenbrink suggests: he didn’t endorse the “culture of fear” label, but still called for the team to be looked at critically. That distinction matters.bikebuffj13-11-2026
- The independent investigation is the important bit now. It needs to give current staff a safe way to speak honestly, not just become another round of public statements.michael5413-11-2026
- One Lombardia doesn’t tell us how Seixas will handle a full Grand Tour. I’d rather see him develop steadily than have every result turned into a Pogačar comparison.samanthak12-11-2026
- Pogacar is 30 already? I thought he was younger. If he keeps winning like this, how long can he realistically ride at the top?jeremya12-11-2026
- Interesting that Thomas made the comparison while speaking to Rowe, given Decathlon’s hopes of keeping Seixas and the reports linking INEOS with him. Praise, or a subtle message to a potential signing?gearguru3312-11-2026
- Seixas winning Il Lombardia at this age is a huge statement. The Pogačar comparisons are inevitable, but Thomas is right to leave room for both of them to keep improving—Pog is still setting the bar.robert6512-11-2026
- A fascinating career, but the article leans heavily on his side of the story. Were the three disqualifications all for the same equipment rule, or were there different issues each time?michael5412-11-2026