The 101st edition of the Tour de France is now less than a week away, with cycling’s greatest race set to roll out of Leeds on Saturday July 5.

An all-star, international cast is due to land in Yorkshire for the race, with the battles for the four jerseys – yellow, green, polka dot and white – set to be very hotly-contested.

From Chris Froome and Alberto Contador bidding for the prestigious maillot jaune, to Mark Cavendish’s bid to dethrone Peter Sagan atop the points classification, the list of contenders for each is fierce.

But of those, none may be as keenly fought as the battle to be crowned best young rider, with some phenomenal talent set to fight out what could be the start of a new era for professional cycling.

Young riders took centre stage at the Giro d’Italia earlier this year, with Nairo Quintana (Movistar) going on the claim the overall win.

But with the Colombian, last year’s white jersey winner at the Tour, not heading for Leeds, read our views on the leading candidates for white over the following pages.