If Tadej Pogachar dominates the overall battle from start to finish at the Giro d'Italia and the battle for the pink jersey plays out as expected, one storyline to watch will be who wins the white jersey for the best young rider.

Pogachar's eligibility for the Grand Tour white jersey expired when he turned 25 in September.

He was the Tour de France's best young rider for four consecutive years, each time by more than five minutes. Because of his dominance, this year's Tour de France stage 2 was the first day since stage 12 of the 2020 Tour de France that a rider other than Pogachar took the top spot in the youth class.

Next up for the Maria Bianca winner are young talents like Sian Wittdebroeks (Vimalies a Bike), Timen Arensmann (Ineos Grenadiers), and Luke Plapp (Jayco Alura).

Uitdebroeks made his Grand Tour debut at last year's Vuelta, finishing eighth overall.

Last year's white jersey winner Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) will not be around in 2024, but the runner-up is Allenman. He helped Geraint Thomas to a second place overall finish and maintained his own overall ranking to finish 6th in GC.

The past four youth class winners include two Giro overall winners, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Egan Bernal, showing how GC riders get in shape early to compete in the big races.

The three riders listed above are not strictly chasing white, but are aiming for top 5, podium, or better in the 3-week Giro.

Of course, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorius) will try to become the first Italian to win the Maria Bianca since Fabio Al achieved it in 2015.

He had a strong leg in the Tour de l'Alps, finishing third overall behind Juanpe Lopez (Lidl-Trek), the strongest former young rider who won his class in the 2022 Giro.

Next to him were two up-and-coming Italians, Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizane) and Davide Piganzoli (Team Porti Cometa), who had a great 5-day Alpine race.

They both finished in the top 10 in the Tour of the Alps and showed their talent as top young riders by finishing second and third overall, respectively, behind Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) in last year's Tour de Lavenir.

Also emerging as a new option for the jersey is top German rider Florian Lipowitz (Bora-Hansgrohe), who announced his entry into the World Tour at last week's Tour de Romandie.

The 23-year-old showed his prowess in the mountains by finishing third overall, nine seconds behind overall winner Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers). He will make up the Bora team for Dani Martinez, but if given the freedom, he will be a real threat in the GC and white jerseys.

A symbol of the future to come, the Maglia Bianca has been worn constantly at the Giro d'Italia since its reintroduction in 2007 and was won by Andy Schleck, who won the Tour de France three years later. Other winners of the Maria Bianca were Richie Porte in 2010 and Rigoberto Urán in 2012.

In the 2010s, Nairo Quintana, Miguel Angel Lopez, and Carlos Betancourt won the white jersey, as did Bernal and Uran.

The newest of the four jerseys offered at the Giro, it was initially introduced in 1969 for neo-professionals, then developed into an armband for two seasons in the early 1970s, and then into the current jersey in 1976. 2024 will be sponsored by food retailer Eataly.

"The jersey of the best young player is white, like the sum of all colors. 'It is the sum of all hopes and dreams. It is at the same time an award and a wish. A blank page on which new and exciting chapters are written."

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