Tour 2025: Preview of Youth Classification Favorites - Serious Competition for Evenepoel

Last edition

After the coup in the opening stage by Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL last year, Frank van den Broek seized the white jersey. But since the finish in Bologna the next day was so tough, the GC riders had to battle it out amongst themselves there. As a result, Evenepoel took the lead in the fight for the white jersey after two stages. The Belgian would not relinquish the lead in this classification afterwards.

Rules

All riders born on or after January 1, 2000 are eligible for classification in the young rider competition. This means that riders up to 25 years old have a chance at a nice bonus. Thus, Thymen Arensman (born December 4, 1999) is no longer eligible for this classification, even though he is currently still 25 years old.

This year, more than 45 riders qualify for the young rider classification. Remco Evenepoel (January 25, 2000) of Soudal-Quick-Step is the ‘oldest’ rider competing for the white jersey. The youngest is Movistar rider Iván Roméo (21 years old). The Spaniard was born on August 16, 2003. Last year, Johannes Kulset (born 2004) was the youngest, which he would have been again this season if participating.

Favorites

Great talents are rising to the absolute world top at an increasingly younger age. Just look at the list of the last ten winners of the young rider classification at the Tour and you’ll know enough. This year, at least four riders competing for the white jersey are also expected to reach the top 10 in the GC. For one of them, it is also expected he will make the podium (again).

Of course, we are talking about Remco Evenepoel. He is the ‘oldest’ participant in this classification and stood twice last year on the final podium in Nice: third in the battle for yellow and winner of this young rider classification. If nothing unusual happens, that is also possible this year. His preparation took a hit, as REV missed the entire winter due to a collision with a bPost van in early December. The Belgian returned immediately with a win at Brabantse Pijl, but afterward his performances were less convincing—until last Sunday at the Belgian Championship. But the Tour is something else. Knowing Evenepoel, he’ll be fine. 

The Belgian from Soudal-Quick-Step finished fourth in the Critérium du Dauphiné and had to concede the remaining podium spot after Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard—and the young rider win—to Florian Lipowitz. The story of the 24-year-old German is well known: until 2019, he was a biathlete (his brother Philip is a professional), but he started racing that year. Tirol KTM gave him a contract a year later and Lipowitz was off. He is now in his third pro year and fully breaking through. Before the Dauphiné, he was fourth in the Tour of the Basque Country and second in Paris-Nice. He starts at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe as a shadow leader alongside Primož Roglič, Mick van Dijke told us last week.

The Belgian and the German face strong competition from their Danish peer Mattias Skjelmose. The 24-year-old climber is the leader at Lidl-Trek. That’s hardly surprising, as the Dane finished fifth in last year’s Vuelta a España, ahead of Lipowitz (seventh), for example. This year, Skjelmose is also having a very strong season. He beat none other than Pogačar and Evenepoel in a three-rider sprint at the Amstel Gold Race. He was also fifth in the Tour of the Basque Country and had to abandon Paris-Nice while in third place. Illness kept him out of the Dauphiné and the Tour de Suisse, but just before the Tour, he won the new one-day race Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica. Skjelmose will stand up.

Are we already through the absolute top favorites for this classification? No. INEOS Grenadiers will bring leader Carlos Rodríguez to the start. The 23-year-old Spaniard has ridden four Grand Tours so far in his career, but finished every race between fifth and tenth. In his last two Tour participations, Rodríguez was second in the young rider classification—2023 behind Pogačar, last year behind Evenepoel. Plenty of reason to rank the Spanish climber higher in this preview, although he has not impressed this year. He finished ‘only’ sixth in the Tour de Romandie and no better than ninth in the Dauphiné.

The French can also hope for a successor to Pierre Latour, who has completely faded since his victory in 2018. That pressure mainly weighs on Kévin Vauquelin. The 24-year-old Arkéa-B&B Hotels rider is considered one of the biggest stage race talents of his generation. He signed early in the year with a top team—according to our information Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale or INEOS Grenadiers—and proved why later in the season. He already won five races in 2025 after taking a stage win in last year’s Tour. Recently, Vauquelin finished second in the Tour de Suisse behind João Almeida. This Tour, the French rider is targeting stage wins.

Still, Vauquelin would not be the first French talent crushed by the immense pressure from the home country. In this respect, it’s good he can share it with Lenny Martinez. He is the son of MTB legend Miguel Martinez (world and Olympic champion in 2000) and grandson of Mariano Martínez, a Spaniard who was naturalized French. The latter once won two stages and the mountains classification in the Tour. Grandson Lenny has already won mountain stages in Paris-Nice and the Dauphiné this year. The pocket climber was also fifth in the Tour of the Basque Country and second in the Tour de Romandie. However, a classification in the Tour still seems a year too early.

Picnic PostNL will also count on one of their best-performing riders. Oscar Onley has shown for three and a half years that he often comes close to overall wins in smaller stage races. We all still remember the 2022 Tour of Croatia, when he competed with Vingegaard—who had won his first Tour a few months earlier. The Scot is still only 22, but he showed in the Tour de Suisse that he took the next step in his development. He won a stage following a great duel with João Almeida and finished third overall in that Swiss race. However, Picnic PostNL is focusing only on stage wins.

Belgium has several irons in the fire for the white jersey, also in the coming years. But the road to the top is uneven for Lennert Van Eetvelt. The youngster from Lotto turns 24 during the Tour and wants to make a shot at a good GC despite the strong competition. The climber has already ridden the Vuelta twice and came close to stage wins in both editions. But he has not yet managed a strong overall classification there. This year, Van Eetvelt has struggled mostly but still finished eleventh in the UAE Tour, eighth in the Tour of Catalonia, and fifteenth in the Tour de Romandie. Nice results, but not for someone who won two WorldTour races in 2024.

There is a third Belgian who realistically can come close to winning this classification. But something first needs to happen to Evenepoel because Ilan Van Wilder is his lieutenant. The 25-year-old from Soudal-Quick-Step has proven his own qualities as a stage racer in the last two years. This year alone—without REV—he was seventh in the Volta ao Algarve, tenth in Paris-Nice, sixth in the Tour of the Basque Country, and eighth in the Tour de Suisse. This should make him a strong contender for the white jersey, but Van Wilder will fully commit himself to helping leader Evenepoel reach the podium.

Someone who might surprise at this Tour is Pablo Castrillo. The 24-year-old Spaniard from (now) Movistar made waves in last year’s Vuelta by winning two mountain stages. He did that while still riding for Equipo Kern Pharma, earning the transfer to the Spanish WorldTeam. He’s shown strong climbing form all year. Castrillo finished seventh in the UAE Tour, eleventh in Paris-Nice, and eighth in the Tour de Suisse, results which make him a consistent contender for any young rider classification. The question is whether Castrillo must sacrifice himself for leader Mas, or if he’ll get chances to ride for himself. In the latter case, the white jersey might be within reach.

We should say, though, that Castrillo is mainly an outsider, as are for example Valentin Paret-Peintre (domestique for Evenepoel), Luke Plapp (domestique for Ben O’Connor), Joe Blackmore (here mainly to discover his future potential), Alex Baudin (more a pure climber than a stage racer), Emiel Verstrynge (debutant but a strong climber), Ewen Costiou (an underrated strength within Arkéa-B&B Hotels), and especially at the beginning of the race Frank van den Broek (Picnic PostNL) and Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost). Who will surprise?