Tour de France 2026 White Jersey favourites | Paul Seixas, Isaac Del Toro and Juan Ayuso to do battle?
CyclingThursday, 02 July 2026 at 18:00
The 2026 Tour de France will not only put the yellow jersey on the line. The youth classification will again bring together some of the sport’s brightest talents, shaping one of the race’s most compelling duels: Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro
Juan Ayuso also features as a big contender among a field that includes Cian Uijtdebroeks, Kévin Vauquelin, Lenny Martínez, Davide Piganzoli, Matthew Riccitello, and Lennert van Eetvelt among others.
While most of these contenders will be off the pace from the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel, the youth classification offers a far more open field than the general classification. We've taken a look at some of the leading contenders to take the white jersey.
The White Jersey Favourites
Paul Seixas starts as the clear favorite. The Frenchman has delivered an outstanding season and, despite being only 19, is already established as one of the WorldTour’s star performers.
His overall victory at Itzulia, backed by three stage wins, plus his exhibition at La Flèche Wallonne and second place at Liège–Bastogne–Liège after briefly resisting a Tadej Pogacar attack, make him the prime candidate.
The only doubt stems from his abandonment at the Tour Auvergne–Rhône–Alpes after a crash. If he lines up fully recovered, he will be the man to beat.
Meanwhile, Isaac del Toro would probably have the legs to fight for the overall podium if given full freedom. That will not be his role.
The Mexican will be fully devoted to Tadej Pogacar for three weeks. Acting as the Slovenian’s key lieutenant could cost him time and burn matches in high mountains.
Even so, his class still makes him the second favourite for white. If race dynamics allow him to save energy on select days, he remains a constant threat.
Ayuso, Uijtedebroeks and Vauquelin in the chasing pack
Juan Ayuso will arrive as Lidl–Trek’s leader with the responsibility of fighting for the GC.
The Spaniard rediscovered his best level at the Tour Auvergne–Rhône–Alpes after a start to the season marked by DNFs at Paris–Nice and Itzulia due to crashes. His talent was never in doubt, but now he must prove he can sustain it for three weeks at the Tour.
If he avoids the physical setbacks that have dogged him in recent years, he will be very close to the best young riders in the race.
Next stands Movistar Team’s great hope. With Iván Romeo out, practically all sporting responsibility falls on Cian Uijtdebroeks. The Belgian will debut as the telecom squad’s Tour de France leader, aiming primarily for a top-10 overall.
Kévin Vauquelin is another very reliable rider when the road tilts skyward. The Frenchman impressed at last year’s Tour de France, finishing seventh overall and third among the young riders. He will shoulder even more responsibility now within a NetCompany INEOS entering a new phase after several key departures.
He may not have the ceiling of Seixas or Del Toro, but his consistency makes him a dangerous candidate to stay within striking distance of the places of honor.
On paper, the youth classification looks like a duel between Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro. The Tour de France, however, rarely follows the script. Del Toro’s duties alongside Pogacar, Seixas’ lack of Grand Tour experience, the lingering fitness doubts around Ayuso, and the parity with Vauquelin crack the door open for Cian Uijtdebroeks.
The Belgian will need almost perfect three weeks, without dips and with steady climbing form. It will not be easy, but after losing Iván Romeo before the Grand Départ, the white jersey is likely Movistar Team’s best chance to leave the 2026 Tour de France with a major sporting result.
Read also
| Position | Rider | Team |
| 1 | Paul Seixas | Decathlon CMA CGM |
| 2 | Isaac del Toro | UAE Team Emirates XRG |
| 3 | Juan Ayuso | Lidl-Trek |
| 4 | Cian Uijtdebroeks | Movistar Team |
| 5 | Kévin Vauquelin | NetCompany INEOS |
Other contenders for the Tour de France white jersey
The list of candidates does not end there. Lenny Martínez again presents as one of the peloton’s most gifted young climbers, and any mountain exhibition could pull him into the white-jersey fight. Davide Piganzoli keeps progressing season after season and approaches the Tour as a major chance to cement himself among the best of his generation.
Matthew Riccitello also has room to surprise thanks to his climbing profile, while Lennert Van Eetvelt has the talent to slip into contention if he can hold consistent form for three weeks. In short, the white jersey will gather a big slice of the sport’s present and future, a generation set to headline many of the major duels in the years ahead.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- It was Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes (formerly Dauphine).Lozza02-07-2026
- Del Toro and Ayuso didn’t ride Tour of the Alps.Lozza02-07-2026
- The TT will be crucial? Look at the winning margins, is the TT long enough to make a difference?mij02-07-2026
- Yes lets hope he is not on the same stuff as Tyler or he will be in trouble🤣🤣🤣paultryan200202-07-2026
- I hope the other way around.mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales02-07-2026
- The Team ******** Them-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.. LOL... But Ruben has a kind of point..Even other Sponsors of that team, asked for the name chage In october 2025, after the vuelta.. Its important NSN that casual fans don´t associate the team with Israel..Specialy right now...Alexcavalera02-07-2026
- JV first TDF win dependeing on TP riding one mountain stage in the dumbest way possible, his DS should have been fired. JV second TDF win came because TP was recovering from a broken hand after a bad crash.Cyclingnut02-07-2026
- The then-23-year-old Antonio Tiberi was sitting in 4th overall and in the white jersey at the 2024 Vuelta à España when he pulled out due to heatstroke. It might be worse this Tour. And God forbid what will happen when this year's south-focused Vuelta comes round
Rafionain-Glas02-07-2026 - Bit of lol and lets get in Vins head from old team matepaultryan200202-07-2026
- Not sure he quiet has Froomes pedigree, but lets hope!whit2pet02-07-2026
Loading
Write a comment