Numerous cycling

stage race A race stage, leg, or heat is a unit of a race that has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages, but sometimes stages ...

s award a white jersey to signify the current leader and overall winner of a certain competition, or to signify the best young rider in the race. The most prominent of these is the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

, where the jersey is known as the ''maillot blanc'' and is awarded to the best-placed rider age under 26. The use of the white jersey to recognize the best young rider in a race is its most common use, though some tours award a white jersey for a different classification. Other stage races, besides the Tour de France, that also award a white jersey for the best young rider include: *

Deutschland Tour The Deutschland Tour (English: ''Tour of Germany'' and sometimes ''Deutschland-Rundfahrt'' in German) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June, but from 2005 until 2008 it was moved t ...

* Giro d'Italia (known as the ''maglia bianca'', and the cut-off is 25 years instead of 26) *

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...

Tour of California The Tour of California (officially sponsored as the Amgen Tour of California) was an annual professional road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race on the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour that ran from 2006 to 2019. It was the ...

(where the cut-off is age 23 instead of 26) *

Tour of Ireland The Tour of Ireland (Irish: Turas na hÉireann, known from 1985 to 1992 as the Nissan Classic) was a bicycle stage race held in August, which ran for 35 editions over a 56-year period. Irish rider Seán Kelly recorded the most wins, four. Th ...

Tour de France

Giro d'Italia

Other white jerseys

Some stage races award a white jersey for a different classification than youth. The foremost of these is probably the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

, where it recognizes the leader in the Combination classification. In this classification, ranks in the General, Points, and Mountains classifications are added, and whoever has the lowest cumulative total is awarded the white jersey. It is a relatively new award, having existed only since the 2003 edition of the race. In 1941, the Vuelta a España white jersey was for the leader and overall winner of the General classification. The

Tour of the Basque Country The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: ''Itzulia Basque Country'', es, Vuelta al País Vasco, links=no, eu, Euskal Herriko Itzulia) is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race held in the Basque Country (autonomous community) ...

awards a white jersey to the leader and overall winner of the Points classification. The

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of th ...

awards a white jersey with green stripes to the leader and overall winner of the General classification. The 2008

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...

awarded a white jersey to a somewhat unusual competition, the Sprints classification, which awards placings not on stage finishes but strictly in intermediate sprints. The

Tour Down Under The Tour Down Under (branded as the Santos Tour Down Under under a partnership arrangement) is a cycling race in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and is traditionally the opening event of the UCI World Tour and features all 19 UCI World ...

awards a white jersey, with green piping and side panels, to the leader and ultimately the winner of the

King of the Mountains The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used. While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest ...

classification.

References

{{reflist Road bicycle racing terminology Cycling jerseys Grand Tour (cycling) Jersey, white it:Classifica giovani (Tour de France) nl:Jongerenklassement Ronde van Frankrijk