The White Jersey
 

Is it really needed? Seems those of that age group are doing just fine. I'd vote for an over 35 jersey.

I have always thought of the white jersey as a "participation" jersey. Age is against you in this sport, so give the old geezers the participation award, dammit.
With young guys, they're practically like teenagers, you expect them to go 5-6 rounds ejackulation a night; not so with the geezers as they need to pick and choose the battles.

They could call it the Lantern Rouge jersey.

Just that the ridders (White and Rouge) tend to be at the opposite ends.

Well the white jersey for best young rider has been around since the mid 70's for the TdF and the Giro. Typically the young guys had to pull for the older guys that got to get the GC jersey. So maybe this was a concession for that.

Still haven't quite figured out what it means in the Veulta. Not sure they know either.

There was a day when those under 25 had a real hard time winning, and they were not the GC leaders. I no longer see that as true. Having a kid who raced against these guys, I'd make a comment that the juniors or U23 were as fast (fast, not 20 stages capable) as the pros and be laughed at and disagreed with. Fact is, right now, the U23/U25 are the fastest. The old guys may know how to win, but they are not as fast. Primoz became a pro about 4 years ago, so he has a freshness about him that makes him seem like a low age kid with the wisdom of an older rider. Anyway, those wearing the white are every bit as competitive in this modern age. Like I said, give it to the old guys.

Jersey's are sort of a weird enticement the race organizers created to give riders a reason to show up and also a reason for the race organizer to go out and find sponsors for that jersey to get more money from... in some cases.

I suppose when they feel they need to change or create another category of jersey they'll do that.

I'm not sure I'd want to compete for the old guy competition though.

Giro GC winners - 1,2 and 4 all U25.

In the previous ten years, I think only one other person met the qualifications for the white jersey in the Giro d'Italia and won the general classification. Or at least the white jersey as defined by the Giro today. Sometimes qualifications change.

So 2 out of ten isn't really much to say the new guys shouldn't have a jersey for themselves.

hopefully, we see the same in the vuelta.

Turns out youth isn't always bulletproof. Egan Bernal is facing extended rehab to fix a problem I've had for years -- scoliosis, mostly exacerbated by having one leg shorter than the other, combined with the usual injuries from falls and overwork. But I'm 62. He's only 24 or 25, I think.

Kinda hard to imagine that these exciting wunderkinds might not dominate the sport as we'd imagined, after Bernal made it look easy in the 2019 TdF, and Remco Evenepoel seemed poised to be the Next Big Thing, before a serious crash and injury.

Seems more likely now that no rider will dominate the grand tours for the foreseeable future, but there will be many youngsters vying for what may be their one big win.

As even Sagan has said (hard to think of him as a veteran already), the peloton has changed a lot. The era of the patron or boss is over and it's more of a free for all now. Younger riders may realize they might not stay fit and injury-free long enough to earn their veteran status and shot at being the designated team leader.

Perhaps the U23 jersey should be blood red. Save the white jersey to represent the brittle bones of the older riders. Get Centrum Silver to sponsor the U35 group.

It is not, but worth watching as we see similar in the TdF. When my kid was racing I thought some of the kids (17-22) were as fast as the pros (at far shorter distances). They were. USA pro ITT won by a U23 (age 21) as well, the prior year USA Pro RR won by 21 year old. USA is hardly the measure, but it was worth noticing that there may be the start of a trend.

23 https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/egan-bernal

I think that is a significant point. In the past many had to wait their turn. Not so much now.

Kids grow up so fast.

Maybe the fastest oldest guy should get grey numbers.