Tour de France young-rider classification eligibility is for riders who remain under age 26 in the calendar year of the race.
The classification is calculated much like the general classification: the eligible rider with the lowest accumulated time leads it and wears the white jersey. It rewards the best-placed younger competitor, not necessarily the youngest rider in the peloton. A rider can therefore win the young-rider competition while also ranking highly in the overall race.
The classification was introduced in 1975, when Francesco Moser became its first winner after finishing seventh overall. Its eligibility rules have changed. It originally focused on neo-professionals, then shifted to first-time Tour riders before adopting the age-based system used today in 1987.
The white jersey has not been awarded continuously: the Tour omitted it from 1989 through 2000 before restoring it in 2001. The young-rider competition should not be confused with a separate junior race; it is a classification within the professional Tour and uses riders’ overall stage times.