The five favourites for the white jersey at the Vuelta
Wrapping up our favourites for all of the classifications at the Vuelta, is our five favourites for the white jersey (youth classification). Let's dive straight in and take a look at some of the top talents heading to the 2025 Vuelta.
1. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
What a talent Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe have on their hands. The 21-year-old Italian performed superbly in his debut Grand Tour for Red Bull, after his transfer from Pro Continental outfit VF Group–Bardiani CSF–Faizanè. Pellizzari’s performance in 2025 was one of pure maturity. He quietly went about his work, content with his domestique duties until the third week, when leadership passed to him following the abandonment of Primož Roglič.
The support network of experienced riders is also crucial for Pellizzari’s development. After serving as Roglič’s understudy at the Giro, there is hardly anyone better to learn from about what it takes to compete at the highest level than the multiple Grand Tour winner himself. With Pellizzari set to take on the leadership role at the Vuelta, it promises to be a fascinating race to watch, and could mark the true breakout of a young superstar for Italian cycling.
2. Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
After a torrid time at the Giro, where everything that could go wrong did go wrong, Ayuso lines up for his home Grand Tour determined to put those memories behind him. Having won the white jersey in his last Vuelta appearance in 2023, he will be looking to continue that streak this August and September, but with his sights set firmly on the red jersey.
There is always the potential for tension between two teammates competing in the general classification, as we have seen in previous Grand Tours, and that could cast some doubt over Ayuso’s chances. Both he and João Almeida are likely to target the GC, which could make for an intriguing dynamic.
3. Max Poole (Team Picnic PostNL)
Looking to build on his fifth-place finish in the youth classification in 2024, Max Poole was part of five gruelling breakaways in last year’s edition, narrowly missing out on stage victories on four occasions and collecting four podiums from those moves.
With the breakout of fellow Brit Oscar Onley at the Tour in 2025, could Poole follow suit at the Vuelta? He came close to a top ten in the GC at the Giro in May, but has since abandoned both stage races he has entered, at the Dauphiné and the Tour de Pologne. There is no reason, however, why Poole cannot repeat his aggressive breakaway efforts from 2024. If he does, it could also propel him up the general classification.
4. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)
The 24-year-old Italian enjoyed a strong Tour de Pologne, finishing second in the general classification. Before that, he placed 40th at the San Sebastian Klasikoa after a long layoff following his home Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia. At the Giro, Tiberi finished 17th in the GC — a result he might have expected to improve on after placing fifth the year before. Earlier in 2025, he also secured a podium in the general classification at the WorldTour stage race Tirreno–Adriatico.
It will be a tough ask for Tiberi to compete in the upper tier of the GC given the stacked field lining up, but he certainly has the potential to grow into a more consistent contender.
5. Matthew Riccitello (Israel Premier Tech)
The young American from Israel–Premier Tech, Matthew Riccitello, is another rider who had a solid 2024 Vuelta and will be looking to build on the foundations he laid. He finished fourth in the youth classification last year, which perhaps highlighted the area he most needs to improve — his time trialling. Riccitello lost significant time in both TTs in 2024, placing 103rd and 62nd respectively.
So far in 2025, Riccitello’s best result has been overall victory at the Romanian stage race, the Sibiu Cycling Tour, along with an 11th-place finish at the WorldTour stage race Volta a Catalunya.
