The best young rider competition has been a staple of Grand Tour racing in the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia for decades. However, the Vuelta a Espana didn’t introduce this jersey competition until 2017.
Cyclists 25 years of age and under qualify for this competition. Yet, the leader of this classification didn’t wear the traditional white jersey when it first came out. Instead, the leader wore a read numbered bib. It wasn’t until 2019 that the youth classification would get the traditional white colored jersey.
Online betting sites have released their odds for the best young rider classification. Let’s take a closer look at this competition, identify the best betting options, and predict who will win the white jersey.
Previous White Jersey Winners
Miguel Angel Lopez won the inaugural best young rider competition in 2017. The next year, Enric Mas won this competition. In 2019, Tadej Pogacar, who would go on to win the 2020 Tour de France, was the first ever winner of the white jersey for this competition.
⚪ Favoritos para el maillot blanco / White jersey: contenders 👶🏼
🇪🇸 @EnricMasNicolau
🚴🏼 @Movistar_Team#LaVuelta20 / @fenieenergia pic.twitter.com/6NtwnRasTI— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) October 18, 2020
Vuelta a Espana Betting Odds
The following cycling betting odds are courtesy of BetOnline:
- Enric Mas Nicolau (+100)
- Alexander Vlasov (+250)
- Daniel Martinez(+1000)
- David Gaudu (+1000)
- Ivan Sosa (+1000)
- Michael Storer (+2000)
- Andrea Bagioli (+3300)
- Clement Champoussin (+5000)
- Robert Power (+5000)
- Fernando Barcelo (+8000)
- Ilan Van Wilder (+8000)
- Thymen Arensman (+8000)
The Top Choices for the White Jersey Competition
Based on the riders in this year’s Vuelta a Espana, the following cyclists are the best choices to win this year’s Best Young Rider competition:
Enric Mas Nicolau (+100)
Mas won this competition in 2018 and I believe he has a great chance at winning it for the second time in three years. Not only do I believe he can win the white jersey, I also believe that Mas will be a contender for the podium in this year’s Vuelta.
Mas will be the leader of one of the best teams of the race – Movistar. He will also have the support of Alejandro Valverde and Marc Soler.
The highlight of Mas’ season so far has been his 5th place finish in the 2020 Tour de France. He was also second in the best young rider competition as well.
Alexander Vlasov (+250)
Vlasov could be a real threat to Mas in this white jersey competition. At just 24 years old, Vlasov will most likely get the nod as the leader for Astana Pro Team which means he will get all of the support in the GC competition. That also means he should finish high in this competition as well.
Vlasov has had a solid 2020 season with a 2nd in the Tour de La Provence, 3rd at La Route d’Occitanie, 3rd at Il Lombardia, and 5th in Tirreno-Adriatico.
He left the Giro D’Italia after Stage 2 due to an illness, but is fully recovered and ready for his first ever Vuelta.
Daniel Martinez (+1000)
Daniel Martinez will lead EF Pro Cycling into his 2nd ever Vuelta appearance. Last year, he ended up 13th in this competition. However, Martinez has had a solid 2020 season so far.
He finished 2nd overall at the Tour Colombia 2.1 including 5th in points classification, 2nd in the youth classification, and 3rd in the KOTM competition.
⚪ Favoritos para el maillot blanco / White jersey: contenders 👶🏼
🇨🇴 @danifmartinez96
🚴🏼 @EFprocycling#LaVuelta20 / @fenieenergia pic.twitter.com/jO2NhAfjzd— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) October 18, 2020
Martinez would go on to win the Criterium du Dauphine’s GC battle and the youth competition in August. He would also go on to be a great help in the Tour de France to his team leaders as he finished 28th overall and 4th in the youth competition.
Most recently, he’s finished in the Top 20 at the World Championships time trial, La Fleche Wallonne, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
David Gaudu (+1000)
Gaudu will compete in his first ever Vuelta after three appearances in the Tour de France. Gaudu will be riding on Groupama FDJ which is led by Thibaut Pinot.
So, unless Pinot disappoints which is highly possible, Gaudu’s individual glory might be relegated to stage wins as his overall time won’t be great due to sacrificing himself for Pinot.
Ivan Sosa (+1000)
Ivan Sosa will ride on the second best team in the Vuelta – Team INEOS. He hasn’t competed much this year and had poor showings at La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege over the last few weeks.
⚪ Favoritos para el maillot blanco / White jersey: contenders 👶🏼
🇨🇴 @ivansosacuervo
🚴🏼 @INEOSGrenadiers#LaVuelta20 / @fenieenergia pic.twitter.com/tqxlB8LrOg— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) October 18, 2020
In his first Vuelta a Espana appearance, Sosa will be called upon to help team leader Richard Carapaz and Chris Froome. It’s highly unlikely that he will be able to finish high in this white jersey competition.
Who Will Be the Best Young Rider of the 2020 Vuelta?
This classification will come down to three riders:
- Enric Mas
- Daniel Martinez
- Alexander Vlasov
All three cyclists have strong teams supporting them. Of the three, Enric Mas appears poised to have the best showing.
His Movistar Team is favored to win the Team Competition this year and Mas is one of my picks to finish on the podium for the 2020 Vuelta a Espana.
I see Mas being a GC contender, which will help him run away with this white jersey competition. In fact, of all the individual competitions in this year’s Vuelta, the best young rider classification is the easiest one to predict.
Best Young Rider of the 2020 Vuelta –Enric Mas (+100)
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
