The favourites for the 2025 Tour de France white jersey

The 2024 white jersey comes into the 2025 Tour de France off the back of a mixed Critérium du Dauphiné. Evenepoel displayed great form in the time trial on stage 4 showcasing why he is nicknamed the 'aero bullet', but in the high mountains, Evenepoel was caught significantly lacking behind the level of Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar the young German talent, Florian Lipowitz. Evenepoel admitted in his post-stage interviews that he still remains far behind the star men.  Evenepoel will be aiming to make the podium of the general classification for the second year in a row and if he achieves that goal, he will also likely take home the white jersey as Pogacar and Vingegaard battle it out for the yellow jersey.

The Critérium du Dauphiné was a demonstration of the tremendous talent that Florian Lipowitz possesses, as he finished third in the general classification and won the white jersey. With the form Lipowitz displayed in the Dauphiné, Red Bull - BORA – Hansgrohe have a serious problem on their hands: do they make Lipowitz a co-leader with Primož Roglič or leave Lipowtiz as Roglič’s super-domestique? If Lipowtiz is a co-leader, then there is a real opportunity for him to take the white jersey in just his second-ever Grand Tour appearance.

Carlos Rodríguez has come close in recent years to winning the white jersey at the Tour, finishing second in the youth classification in consecutive years. The 24-year-old Spaniard will be aiming to go one step further in 2025, although his season hasn’t really got going as of yet. What will particularly suit Rodríguez in the 2025 edition of the Tour de France is the significant volume of climbing metres within the third week, which is almost tailor made for a rider like him. With Ineos Grenadiers bringing a fresh attacking approach to their racing in 2025, we may see Rodríguez right up there in the mix come the end of the race in the upper echelons of the GC.

The 24-year-old Dane has had a whirlwind of a 2025 season, mixing setbacks from crashes and illness with a triumph over Evenepoel and Pogacar at the Amstel Gold Race. Skjelmose was not at the 2024 Tour so it will be his first appearance since his debut in 2023. Prior to his abandon at Paris-Nice, Skjelmose was demonstrating a solid performance, with strong climbing legs to compete with top riders such as Matteo Jorgenson and João Almeida. The Dane also showed his ability over three weeks last year when he placed fifth at the 2024 Vuelta a España, winning the white jersey. 

Want to get up to speed on all classifications? Check out our other previews of the key favourites:

• General classification: who are the top contenders for the yellow jersey?
• Points classification: can Girmay continue his success of last year?
• King of the mountain classification: who will take the polka dot jersey?