Tdf White Jersey
Posted : admin On 4/5/2022Patterns: Le Tour de France logo and inscription, Le Coq Sportif logos. Material: 100% ultra-light, ultra-airy and micro-perforated polyester jersey. Sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL. Last items left! Le Coq Sportif certified original item, made under official license of Le Tour de France. Tour de France 2021 - Official site of the famed race from the Tour de France. Includes route, riders, teams, and coverage of past Tours.
Of all the classifications within the Tour de France, the Best Young Rider competition is the least known and celebrated. Yet, it’s still a tremendous honor to be the best young rider in the sport’s most popular cycling event.
Throughout the three week Tour de France, the leader of this competition will wear a white jersey. This year, there are a handful of competitors that meet the criteria to compete for this classification.
But, can anyone defeat the reigning white jersey winner Egan Bernal of Team Ineos and become the best young rider for the 2020 TDF?
Tour de France betting sites have released their odds for this competition. Let’s take a look at these white jersey betting odds and see if we can predict which cyclist will break from the peloton to become the Best Young Rider of the 2020 Tour de France.
Best Tour de France Betting Sites for 2020
What Is the Best Young Rider Competition?
The Best Young Rider classification, more commonly referred to as the white jersey competition, was first created in 1975 after the organizers of the TDF removed the combination classification, which originally wore the white jersey.
At first, only professionals with less than three years of experience could compete for the white jersey. That criteria changed in 1983 when it was only open to first time Tour de France competitors.
In 1987, the rules changed again and only riders 26 years and younger were eligible for the white jersey. Currently, tt remains a classification where only cyclists under the age of 26 years old, as of January 1st of the year following the TDF, can compete in.
From 1989-1999 the organizers of the TDF didn’t award this competition. However, at the behest of fans and teams, the white jersey competition was brought back in 2000 and remains a fixture within the sport’s Super Bowl of cycling.
The winner of this jersey is the cyclist under 26 years of age who has the best overall time at the end of the three week Tour de France race.
⚪ Top moment maillot blanc Krys ⚪
?? Francesco Moser, double vainqueur d’étape et premier maillot blanc du Tour en 1975.
?? Francesco Moser, two stage wins and the very first white jersey of the Tour de France, back in 1975. #TDF2020pic.twitter.com/1wYSzX4YrO
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 28, 2020
Previous White Jersey Winners
The following is a list of previous white jersey winners dating back to 2010:
- Andy Schleck (LUX) in 2010
- Pierre Rolland (FRA) in 2011
- Tejay van Garderen (USA) in 2012
- Nairo Quintana (COL) in 2013, 2015
- Thibaut Pinot (FRA) in 2014
- Adam Yates (GBR) in 2016
- Simon Yates (GBR) in 2017
- Pierre Latour (FRA) in 2018
- Egan Bernal (COL) in 2019
Officially, Andy Schleck holds the record for most white jersey competition wins with three (2008-2010). Jan Ullrich won it three times as well (1996-1998), but he did it when the jersey wasn’t “officially” awarded. Egan Bernal is the defending white jersey winner.
France has the most number of winning cyclists for this competition at eight. Italy is second with four.
Tour de France White Jersey Betting Odds
The following odds are courtesy of Bet365:
- Egan Bernal (-162)
- Tadej Pogacar (+225)
- Pavel Sivakov (+1200)
- Daniel Martinez (+1200)
- Enric Mas Nicolau (+1400)
- Lennard Kamna (+3300)
- Sergio Higuita (+3300)
- David Gaudu (+4000)
- March Hisrchi (+15000)
Although there are numerous cyclists who can compete for this classification, the reality is that only these five riders have the best shot at winning the white jersey competition for this year’s Tour de France:
Egan Bernal (-162)
At just 23 years old, Colombia’s Egan Bernal is the reigning white jersey winner and is eligible to compete in this competition for the next few years. He competed in his first Tour de France in 2018 and was the youngest rider in the race.
In 2018, Bernal would end up 2nd in the white jersey competition nearly six minutes behind the winner Pierre Latour. Egan was a domestique for Chris Froome and Gerraint Thomas that year. Latour was able to ride for himself.
In 2019, Bernal ended up becoming the overall leader for Team Ineos and not only won the 2019 Tour de France, but he absolutely crushed the competition for the white jersey. Second place rider David Gaudu finished roughly 24 minutes behind Bernal by time they rolled into Paris.
Bernal is the clear leader of Team Ineos this year and a favorite to win the overall yellow jersey for 2020, which should put him in a good position to win the white jersey for the second straight year.
Tadej Pogacar (+225)
Unlike in the 2019 TDF, Egan Bernal is going to have a real battle this year for the white jersey and that competition will come from Tadej Pogacar. The 21 year old Slovenian, is making his Tour de France debut and is one of the cyclists to keep an eye on in this year’s Grand Tour.
Not only will he contend for the white jersey, but some fans and pundits believe that Pogacar can also compete for the yellow jersey as well.
Can Tadej Pogaçar deliver at his debut Tour de France?
Can Alexander Kristoff net a fourth Tour stage win?
Check out our takes on UAE-Team Emirates’ Tour de France team:https://t.co/rCjcEKlGeR
— VeloNews (@velonews) August 22, 2020
Pogacar will be either the top supporter for Fabio Aru on UAE Team Emirates or he will end up as the leader. Last year, he rode in the 2019 Vuelta a Espana and captured the white jersey for that Grand Tour. He also won three stages in his first ever Grand Tour experience.
Pavel Sivakov (+1200)
Pavel Sivakov is a 23 year old Russian cyclist who also rides for Team Ineos. He finished 9th in the Giro d’Italia last year, so he does have some Grand Tour experience.
This year, Sivakov has already won a young rider classification in the Tour Down Under. He also finished 2nd at Route d’Occitanie and 11th at the Criterium du Dauphine.
Tdf White Jerseys
Sivakov comes into his first Tour de France in good form already. If Bernal falters in anyway, Sivakov will not only leapfrog him in the white jersey competition, but could also become the leader on Team Ineos.
Daniel Martinez (+1200)
Daniel Martinez will make his second appearance in the Tour de France having debuted in 2018. The 24 year old Colombian finished 5th in the Young Rider classification that year, well over 75 minutes back of Pierre Latour. Martinez didn’t compete in the 2019 TDF, but raced in the Vuelta instead.
The Team EF Education First rider has shown good form already in 2020 by winning both the yellow and white jerseys at the Criterium du Dauphine and finishing 2nd overall in the Tour Colombia.
Martinez is overlooked in this competition, which means he does offer some betting value.
Enric Mas Nicolau (+1400)
The 25 year old Spaniard is a “co-leader” of Team Movistar this year along with the veteran Alejandro Valverde. However, you can expect Nicolau to get most of the support as long as he doesn’t crack in the mountains.
Nicolau has competed in three Grand Tours already, with two coming in the Vuelta a Espana where he finished 71st in 2017 and 2nd in 2018.
Last year, Enric finished 22nd overall in his Tour de France debut. He finished 3rd in the white jersey competition nearly one hour behind Egan Bernal.
Hay que sufrir para avanzar.
You have to suffer in order to move forward.@dauphine@Movistar_Team
? @PhotoGomezSportpic.twitter.com/HdB2GXfTHg
— Enric Mas Nicolau (@EnricMasNicolau) August 14, 2020
Nicolau has a strong team alongside him and provides decent value. However, he will have to show solid form in the mountains to have any real chance at this jersey and a Top 15 spot in the overall general classification.
Who Will Win the Best Young Rider Classification in the 2020 TDF?
I’m really looking forward to the battle between Egan Bernal and Tadej Pogacar for this white jersey competition. Not only are we looking at the two best young riders in the sport, along with Wout van Aert, we are also looking at two cyclists who can compete for TDF wins in the near future.
With that said, I’m really surprised that Egan Bernal’s betting odds are this low. We are talking about the reining Tour de France champion and white jersey winner. He’s once again a favorite to win the overall classification, which means that he would easily capture this jersey as well.
I think Pogacar is a year away from being at true contender as this is his first Tour de France. But, I do expect him to keep this jersey competition close until the final week of the 2020 TDF.
Egan Bernal should win the Best Young Rider classification this year and probably over the next three years unless Pogacar upstages him in the next few Tour de France races.
Different Jerseys Tour De France
It’s said the mark of a champion is to win the Tour de France at your first go. Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault are amongst those who came, saw and conquered from the start. But that’s the exception and the majority of Tour winners are like fine wines that take time to age and mature. You can be born with talent but it has to be worked on, weaknesses addressed and tactics learned.
While a future champion serves their apprenticeship the best young rider competition is a useful staging post and prestigious line for the CV. However a look at the past winners suggests the white flower of youth rarely blooms into a Tour de France winner. Here’s a brief analysis of the contenders, the rules and the history of this jersey.
The rules are simple, the jersey is worn by the best rider on the overall classification born on or after 1 January 1989, ie aged roughly 25 and half or younger. It’s worth €300 a day with a prize of €20,000 to the final winner in Paris.
Last year Thibaut Pinot had a Tour de France meltdown but the evidence of collapse was there in the Tour de Suisse when he was struggling on the descents; the Tour amplified this like it exaggerates everything else and Pinot’s tacophobic technical troubles went into a full-blown mental collapse as the media pressure that had been inflating all year burst in public sight. Now he’s had a quieter run up to the Tour and the burden of espoir français is now being spread across the shoulders of many riders. The Tour de Suisse went to plan this year except for a cold he caught at the end. A worry but he had the same in 2012 and took a stage win in the Tour. Otherwise this year has been much more satisfying and as mentioned the other day he’s not finished lower than 24th in a time trial which suggests both study and application rather than the usual “brave chap” approach associated with many a Frenchman. As we’ve seen before he can climb with the best on the good days so he is the prime pick.
Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) is another French hope. Rightly he pushed back against the label of “first Frenchman” in the Tour last summer as he wanted a high GC position rather than simply beating his countrymen. An intelligent and likeable rider who goes well in the mountains, his attacking style might be more suited to a stage win but the top-10 is within his grasp with this year’s route especially as he did well in the Dauphiné – fifth overall and pipped by Wilco Kelderman for the white jersey. The Tour requires constant concentration, for example the will to hang at the front of the bunch over the cobbles and in the crosswinds and this positioning has cost him in several races. Reviving the wine analogy, Bardet should keep developing over the years and 2014 might be too early to tell.
Rafał Majka is a late call up, a replacement for Roman Kreuziger and his passport problems. But what a replacement he is given he finished sixth overall in the Giro a month ago and wore the white jersey during the race, albeit carrying it because Nairo Quintana was pretty in pink. He wasn’t supposed to be riding so his form is unknown to us but clearly the team have a good idea and that’s why he’s got the call. He led Tinkoff-Saxo in the Giro but is obviously going to be riding in support of Alberto Contador. But tracking the Spaniard is one way to get a high overall position.
Michał Kwiatkowski wore the jersey during the Tour last year but slipped back during the final week. Now he’s a more uncertain prospect after a disappointing Dauphiné where he was consistently off the pace. It’s one thing to be behind the rivals but he was minutes down before he abandoned the race. In some ways he shouldn’t care because his start to the season was so good that anything else this year is a bonus but of course this is the Tour de France. A smart rider we’ll see if he can ride into better form during the race but so far the high mountains have been his limiting factor.
Tdf White Jersey
Movistar’s Ion Izaguirre is an outside pick. The new Spanish champion is in top form and benefited from the grace of Alejandro Valverde to win the title last weekend perhaps with the implicit understanding that the favour has to be returned during the month of July. But riding in service can still equate to a high overall position and the Basque climber could be Movistar’s mountain man for Valverde. The team also have Jesus Herrada, top-10 in the Tour de Romandie this year.
Is Tom-Jelte Slagter a stage racer? The Dutchman’s going to be riding in support of Andrew Talansky but was a contender to win Paris-Nice an unshipped chain sunk his chances. He’s solid in the mountains could be a rider to take the jersey when the race crosses the Vosges only to lose it to a pure climber later in the race. Team mate Ben King has shown promise but he’s yet in the league to rival Slagter yet alone Pinot or Kwiatkowski.
IAM Cycling’s Séb Reichenbach has been tipped on here before but the Tour de France is a big ask for someone riding shotgun to compatriot Mathias Frank. He could and should climb well but a high overall position might be too much to ask.
Orica-Greenedge’s Simon Yates was a surprise call-up but a welcome one given the excitement surrounding hi and twin brother Adam. He’s got what it takes, especially given he’s bounced the likes of Daryl Impey and Matthew Goss out of the team. It’s not because he’s English either, he’s in form with seventh in the recent Tour de Slovénie and strong in the British championships over the weekend so rates as an outsider. But I’m not sure he’ll make it to Paris, the team could have a secret plan to send him home mid-race?
| – |
| Thibaut Pinot |
| Rafał Majka, Romain Bardet |
| T-J Slagter, Michał Kwiatkowski, Ion Izaguirre |
| Séb Reichenbach, Jesus Herrada, Simon Yates |
The History…. and The Scary Stats
The White Jersey was introduced in 1975. As Wikipedia puts it:
Pink Jersey Tour De France
“on four occasions a cyclist has won the young rider classification and the general classification in the same year — Fignon in 1983, Ullrich in 1997, Contador in 2007 and Schleck (retroactively) in 2010.”
Tour De France Jersey
Worryingly if you strip out these precocious winners only two others have won white and yellow during their career, Greg LeMond and Marco Pantani. Certainly it can reveal talent at the highest level but there’s a surprisingly poor correlation between winning white and winning the Tour in subsequent years. The white jersey winner is not the revelation might imagine.
Tour De France Young Riders
Conclusion
If he can avoid trouble this could be Thibaut Pinot’s chance. But the conditional tense applies to a tense rider. Otherwise there are some good challengers. The jersey offers a high profile to its wearer during the race even if it’s the race’s fourth jersey, both in the public perception and in the ASO rulebook which states if a rider has all four jerseys the green ranks second, the mountains is third and white comes last.