Tour de France removes white jersey competition, will debut ‘silver jersey’ for riders over 30
ASO announced new competition for 2023
There will be a new jersey at the Tour de France in 2023 for riders over 30: the silver jersey. The other big news is there will no longer be a white jersey for riders under 26. In fact, the maillot argent will be the opposite of what the white one was. Riders who are older than 30 years and 6 months will be eligible for the new tunic. Whoever is highest in the G.C. and of that age will wear it.
In a statement, the Tour de France organizers, the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) said that it was time that older riders in the field are recognized.
“When a rider turns 30, their career is almost over,” the statement read. “Therefore, we believe they should be rewarded with a special jersey given that it is exceptionally hard at that age. The maillot argent will be given to the rider that still manages to be somewhat competitive in the biggest race on the planet.”
Additionally, the organization has confirmed that the white jersey for best young rider is no more. “With the current crop of professionals winning the majority of big races, it seems no longer appropriate to have a jersey for young riders. We saw this with Tadej Pogačar being elibile for both the yellow and white and we have decided the competition is now irrelevant.”
The decision follows another big change in cycling, with the u-23 category being modified to riders under 21.
It’s possible that a rider like Mark Cavendish could be leading the points, as well as the older rider standings. Will the ASO be forced to bring back some sort of performance combination jersey to combine the two? Or will the green jersey trump the silver?
Should we bring back the combination jersey in the Tour de France for the likes of Po-gotcha? pic.twitter.com/hXTgS0I22P
— daniel (@cyclingreporter) July 3, 2021
“
