For the first time in the (very) short history of the young rider classification in the Vuelta a España, something unique could happen. No one has ever won the white jersey twice, but that might change this year. The defending champion Mattias Skjelmose is not competing, but the winner from the previous year is. However, Juan Ayuso is anything but a guaranteed winner. WielerFlits looks ahead!
It wasn’t Carlos Rodriguez, Thymen Arensman, or Antonio Tiberi who took the overall win in the young rider classification, but Mattias Skjelmose. He had only received two stars in the preview on WielerFlits, but the Dane from Lidl-Trek was ultimately the best. Mattias Vacek was the first wearer of the white jersey after the opening time trial. After the finish of stage four atop Pico Villuercas, Tiberi took over the lead. Then through stage ten, the white jersey changed hands back and forth with Florian Lipowitz.
The German was somewhat of a surprise at that point. There were some expectations beforehand, but nothing on the level of performance he delivered. In stage eleven, Rodríguez then moved into first place, which seemed a sign for the second half of the Vuelta. On Ciutu Negru (stage fifteen), Lipowitz reclaimed the lead, but the following day Rodríguez restored the order. However, the Spaniard fell away completely in the closing weekend, allowing Skjelmose to take the jersey and shortly after take the win.
The official rules in the technical guide of the Vuelta a España state that all riders born after January 1, 2000, are eligible for the young rider classification. Luca Van Boven (January 6, 2000) from Intermarché-Wanty is the oldest rider competing for the white jersey this year. The Spanish talent Markel Beloki—the son of Joseba, who was for many years a challenger to Lance Armstrong—is, at 20 years old (born July 27, 2005), the youngest in the group. In total, more than sixty young riders at the start can contend for the white jersey.
In recent years, young rider classifications have become less of a golden opportunity solely for talents just below the absolute world elite. Increasingly, strong riders are already among the best in the world at a very young age. The same is true for the top favorites for this edition. If one of the names just beneath this group ends up wearing the white jersey in Madrid in just over three weeks, it would certainly be considered a surprise.
The absolute top favorite for the young rider final win is Juan Ayuso. The 22-year-old Spaniard (he will turn 23 two days after the race ends) is one of the greatest talents for stage racing in the world. Alongside João Almeida, he is a team leader at UAE Emirates XRG and will be eager to show his strength. Behind the scenes, Ayuso is trying to break his contract, which runs until the end of 2028, so that next year he can start the Tour de France as a leader in his hometown Barcelona — but with a different team.
Anyway, first this Vuelta. Ayuso won the Faun-Ardèche Classic, the Trofeo Laigueglia, and Tirreno-Adriatico this year. He also finished second in the Tour of Catalonia and was in contention for the overall win in the Giro d’Italia for a long time. A bee sting forced him to abandon during the final week. Afterwards, he didn’t race for more than two months, riding only the Clásica San Sebastián and the Circuito de Getxo ahead of this Vuelta. In the latter, he finished second, so his form should be good for three weeks through Italy, France, Andorra, and Spain.
Antonio Tiberi also suffered a major setback in the Giro. The young Italian seemed on course for the podium for a long time, but a crash in the penultimate weekend shattered his plans. Although the Bahrain Victorious rider finished the race, he dropped to seventeenth in the final standings during the last days. That’s a shame because earlier this year Tiberi (24) was third in Tirreno-Adriatico. In the Vuelta, he can look for revenge as he aims for the podium. Recently, this promising GC talent was second in the Tour of Poland; with that form, he doesn’t have to take it easy.
One who did make an impression in the Giro d’Italia was Giulio Pellizzari. The 21-year-old Italian was initially just a supporting rider in the star-studded Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe squad. But after Primož Roglič and Jai Hindley abandoned, he was allowed to race for his own chances in the final week. In the last six stages, after a series of strong performances, he rose dramatically from sixteenth to sixth place. That was also his position in the final standings. Recently, he finished fourth in the Vuelta a Burgos, but according to his German team, he is here mainly to learn from leader Hindley. Hmm-hmm...
The revelation and standout rider of last year’s Vuelta was undoubtedly Pablo Castrillo. The 24-year-old Spaniard earned a transfer to Movistar with two stage wins for Equipo Kern Pharma. Without a GC leader on the team, the climber can now seize his chance. A strong overall result is definitely within reach for Castrillo. He finished seventh in the UAE Tour, eleventh in Paris-Nice, and ninth in the Tour de Suisse. Those last two are definitely not to be underestimated. However, he rode a completely invisible Tour de France and will thus be hungry for revenge.
Like Movistar, Israel-Premier Tech is also coming to the Vuelta without a GC rider. Yet, that could still change. The small American Matthew Riccitello (23) is having a strong season. Earlier this year, he finished eleventh in the Tour of Catalonia, ninth in the Tour of the Alps, and won the Sibiu Tour in Romania in early July. He also showed well in the recent Tour of Poland at the beginning of August. Therefore, he will travel to Spain with confidence, where his team will “look for” opportunities to win stages, whether by chance or by creating them.
While everyone is now talking about Remco Evenepoel’s early transfer to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, last year that was the case with Johannes Staune-Mittet. The young Norwegian (23) felt he was too often in a domestique role at Visma | Lease a Bike. That’s why he switched to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, where a multi-year plan was drawn up for him from the start. He immediately knew he would ride the Vuelta. Although Felix Gall is here for the overall, the Norwegian who placed twelfth in both the Tour of Poland and the Tour de Romandie might (secretly) try to make his own chance.
Although Soudal Quick-Step has yet to officially announce its roster for the 2025 Vuelta a España, we received an invitation to a press event with the team before the race. There, the Belgian formation revealed that besides Mikel Landa and Valentin Paret-Peintre, William Junior Lecerf will also start. The 22-year-old Belgian climber already rode the Vuelta last year and will use that experience to perform better. This season, Lecerf finished eighth in both the UAE Tour and the Tour de Romandie. Last week, he was better than Cian Uijtdebroeks: Lecerf won the Czech Tour.
EF Education-EasyPost had to announce earlier this week that Richard Carapaz will miss the Vuelta because he is still fully recovering from a stomach and intestinal infection. The intended team leader is now shifting his focus to the World Championships, which opens opportunities for other riders on the American team. With an eye on the young rider classification, this is good news for the Irish pocket climber Archie Ryan. He progressed through the development team of Visma | Lease a Bike and still has a year left on his contract with EF. In July, he finished second in the Tour of Austria, behind the unbeatable Isaac Del Toro.
Like Ryan, Harold Martín López is a rider who could suddenly perform very well here in the Vuelta. The 24-year-old climber from Ecuador has been steadily developing for several years. This season he is really on the rise. López won the Tours of Greece and Hungary. Additionally, the young rider finished second in the Tour of Turkey and third in the Tour of Qinghai Lake. With his qualities, he can score in multiple areas, for example in the mountains classification, but the white jersey for best young rider would suit him perfectly.
Huh?! Is Ben Tulett listed as the very last star?! That can’t be right?! Actually, it is. This has everything to do with the strength of Visma | Lease a Bike as a collective. With Jonas Vingegaard, Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, and possibly Wilco Kelderman ahead of him in the pecking order, the almost 24-year-old Brit will probably have to work hard early on. That’s a shame for the white jersey, as Tulett showed by winning the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, finishing twelfth in the Critérium du Dauphiné, and placing third recently in the Tour de l’Ain that he earned his Vuelta selection.
In the last few days, some contenders for the white jersey have dropped out, including Max Poole. That leaves not many outsiders to discuss. Since time trials and climbing are the most important in the rest of the Vuelta, riders such as Finn Fisher Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers), Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), Juan Guillermo Martínez (Picnic PostNL), Markel Beloki (EF Education-EasyPost), and Léo Bisiaux remain. The 20-year-old Frenchman took his first pro win at the Vuelta a Burgos and finished third overall. Now his French team is throwing him right into the deep end, and we’re curious to see what that will bring with an eye on the future!
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 |  Jonas Vingegaard |
| 2024 |  Primož Roglič |
| 2023 |  Sepp Kuss |
| 2022 |  Remco Evenepoel |
| 2021 | Primož Roglič |
| 2020 | Primož Roglič |
| 2019 | Primož Roglič |
| 2018 |  Simon Yates |
| 2017 | Christopher Froome |
| 2016 |  Nairo Quintana Rojas |
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Primož Roglič |
| 2023 | Sepp Kuss |
| 2022 | Remco Evenepoel |
| 2021 | Primož Roglič |
| 2020 | Primož Roglič |
| 2019 | Primož Roglič |
| 2018 | Simon Yates |
| 2017 | Christopher Froome |
| 2016 | Nairo Quintana Rojas |
| 2015 |  Fabio Aru |
Juan Ayuso - photo: Cor Vos
Tiberi celebrating in the white jersey of the Giro - photo: Cor Vos
Pellizzari made a big impression in the Giro - photo: Cor Vos
photo: Cor Vos
Riccitello also finished twelfth in the UAE Tour and sixth in the Sibiu Tour - photo: Cor Vos
Staune-Mittet (center) in action during the Tour of Poland - photo: Cor Vos
Lecerf is in top form - photo: Cor Vos
Archie Ryan - photo: Cor Vos
Harold Martín López wins at the Tour of Hungary - photo: Cor Vos
Tulett was the best in this year’s Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali - photo: Cor Vos
One of the two top talents from France: Léo Bisiaux - photo: Cor Vos
