Should GT young rider classification be changed?

[Finn84]

The age limit has been 25 for some time. Recently many cyclists have reached the top very early, and not four out of last six GTs have seen young rider winner winning overall. Even more, this year's Giro had five young riders in top 9. To think it more, two-time GT winner Bernal is still eligible next year, and last year's Tour winner Pogacar is eligible for this year and two years after that.

So should there be change in age limits, like U23 (which is limit in World Championship level)? Or should it be rookie competition?

 

[KZD]

Of course we need to make this under23 as many of the stage race contenders are now younger than that.

 

[luckyboy]

Best neo-pro/rookie would be Lars van der Berg, who was 3 hours behind Bernal.

Best U23 would be Almeida-Valter-Covi.

 

[BlueRoads]

U23 would be better, yes. And a 36plus category, it should not have a grey jersey though, but golden dots.

 

[Anderis]

Young rider classification should be dropped and a jersey for the best rider over 25 should be established instead.

 

[Escarabajo]

I agree. They should lower the age. No rookie competition but age.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Does anyone really care for the young rider competition? It seems so random to me and always has. Why not have an old rider competition as well? And a tall and short rider competition?

 

[Panda Claws]

Can't you just combine the two? Both under 25 and has to be one of your first 3 GT's or something?

Might be confusing but I don't think it should immediately be changed to 23 in a knee-jerk reaction.All it takes is to have a ridiculously dominant pantheon again (think Nadal, Federer and Djokovic) and that 25 won't look so bad.

 

[roundabout]

bring back the intergiro

but seriously, make it something that riders can actually target (does anyone target white jerseys in GTs these days? have they been targeted at all?) instead of being a byproduct of a very good GC position

 

[Panda Claws]

Does anyone really care for the young rider competition? It seems so random to me and always has. Why not have an old rider competition as well? And a tall and short rider competition?

I think there is some value in having jerseys. Most riders seem to like to get to wear them and the youth jersey highlights a positive quality. It presents the wearer as a prostpect, a talent, a promising youngster. A jersey for older riders would simply present them as being too old to follow the main competition anymore. Similar with tall and short riders. Nobody is going to give you a pat on the back for that ("you did pretty well... for a midget").

Point is that I wouldn't immediately get rid of a jersey that is regarded with positivity and somewhat respected.

 

[Red Rick]

bring back the intergiro

but seriously, make it something that riders can actually target (does anyone target white jerseys in GTs these days? have they been targeted at all?) instead of being a byproduct of a very good GC position

I vaguely remember some white jersey "battles" in earlier days when they were like 8-15th in GC.

Cunego vs Fothen the biggest one IIRC.

 

[RedheadDane]

I actually like it as it is. Mainly because we have no way of knowing what the situation will be like in 10-20 years.

 

[DoYouEvenRideBruh]

Does anyone really care for the young rider competition? It seems so random to me and always has. Why not have an old rider competition as well? And a tall and short rider competition?

Maybe because it highlights, rewards and encourages potential future winners? None of the other categories would do this.

 

[ExperienPT]

The neo pro would be cool

 

[roundabout]

Maybe make the winner not eligible if he finishes top3 or top5 overall (if he is eligible still)

Something to keep the up and coming aspect alive,

 

[SafeBet]

In 2018 Lopez and Carapaz spent some time battling for the white jersey before it became a battle for the podium later in the race.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

You also had Fignon, Berzin, Pantani, Ullrich, Cunego, Contador, Schleck, Quintana and Aru fighting for and even winning GTs before they turned 26. It looked "bad" at one point in this race, but in the end only one of the young guns, arguably the best among them, ended up in the top 3. Maybe make it a U24 competition, so one rider can't win too many of them.

 

[jaylew]

In 2018 Lopez and Carapaz spent some time battling for the white jersey before it became a battle for the podium later in the race.

I was just about to post this. That battle was pretty intense.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

The assault of young riders that we've seen over the last couple of years is unprecedented. Two of three best GT riders are youngsters: Pogacar (22) and Bernal (24). They are not just the future, they are the present. Add to it supremely talented guys like Evenepoel, Ganna, Almeida. There are also Vlasov, Hindley. Now young jersey GT competition makes little sense but in a few years guys from this dominant generation will cross 25 and then it will make a lot of sense!

 

[IndianCyclist]

I think the classification should be won by a rider only once during the history of the race. For eg. If Bernal has won the Young rider jersey before he should not be allowed to compete thereafter for that classification. This would set a different battle for the young rider.

 

[Bonimenier]

If these young guys really are as good as most think they are and they are generational talents, this problem should fix itself in a couple of years.

 

[Gigs_98]

I think the classification should be won by a rider only once during the history of the race. For eg. If Bernal has won the Young rider jersey before he should not be allowed to compete thereafter for that classification. This would set a different battle for the young rider.

That sounds good on paper but it would be quite absurd if in this years Tour Pogacar finishes the race in front of some 25 y.o. but that 25 y.o. wins white. Wouldn't it kind of defy the entire point of the youth classification if the winner is arguebly not the best young talent in the race?

I like the U23 idea. The young riders classification has been fought out between guys nowhere near the podium in the past as well and I honestly don't mind if that happens again. The way it is now it feels like a completely unnecessary gimmick nobody cares about. And besides the fact that it doesn't seem to have any value with the current rules, nobody sees guys like Bernal as young talents anymore anyway. And Bernal isn't even in his final year where he is eligible for the classification.

 

[Red Rick]

To be dead honest now I just think it's a nuisance in case I forget a rider has the white jersey and I think he's not in the main peloton

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I seem to remember Pierre Latour winning a TDF white jersey in his last year of eligibility while finishing outside of the top ten just three years ago. It really should be a temporary problem, although I wouldn't mind the classification being scrapped altogether tbh.

 

[jmdirt]

How about a jersey classification for the highest placed rider on a team with half (or less) the budget of the highest budget team?