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The Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes have already taken place, but the U23 riders are still to have their day at the Tour de l'Avenir. For the first time, it will be a competition between team brands rather than countries, which means we may see a completely different dynamic. IDL Pro Cycling guides you through the contenders for the week long stage race. If you look at the list of Tour de l'Avenir winners, you'll see nothing but riders who are now competing at the WorldTour level. With Egan Bernal (2017) and Tadej Pogacar (2018), we see riders who have since won multiple Grand Tours. And with the exception of 2024 winner Joe Blackmore, all the other winners have since finished in the top ten of a Grand Tour. Last season, Paul Seixas took the win, finishing ahead of Jarno Widar, Jorgen Nordhagen, and Lorenzo Finn. Just to name a few to watch in the coming years! Recent Winners of the Tour de l'Avenir 2025 Paul Seixas 2024 Joe Blackmore 2023 Isaac del Toro 2022 Cian Uijtdebroeks 2021 Tobias Halland Johannessen 2020 CANCELLED 2019 Tobias Foss 2018 Tadej Pogacar 2017 Egan Bernal 2016 David Gaudu 2026 Tour de l'Avenir: Route, Favorites for Stage Wins, and Times Stage 1, Thursday, August 20: Ouistreham Riva – Bella-Argentan (152.0 km) The Tour de l'Avenir kicks off in western France with a stage that could very well suit the punchers. In the final stretch, a 1-kilometer climb with a 6.9 percent gradient awaits, just six kilometers from the finish. Favorites Matisse Van Kerckhove (Visma | Lease a Bike) Aubin Sparfel (Decathlon CMA CGM) Kasper Borremans (Bahrain Victorious) Stage 2, Friday, August 21: Nogent-le-Rotrou – Amboise (116.3 km) The second stage is one for the fast riders. It’s 116 kilometers long, with not too many obstacles. Favorites Davide Donati (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) Jermaine Zemke (Germany) Tomas Capra (Bahrain Victorious) Stage 3, Saturday, August 22: Vierzon-Saint-Vallier (230.9 km) 231 kilometers—it really is written there. On day three, the first gaps will start to open up, especially since the route climbs again in the final stretch. Or will a dangerous breakaway group form? Favorites Matisse Van Kerckhove (Visma | Lease a Bike) Daan Dijkman (UAE Emirates-XRG) Jack Ward (Lidl-Trek) Stage 4, Sunday, August 23: Saint-Vallier - Semur-en-Auxois (151.0 km) The fourth stage is usually another one for the sprinters in the field, although the last 500 meters are still slightly uphill Favorites Davide Donati (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) Liam Van Beylen (Lidl-Trek) Alessio Delle Vedove (XDS-Astana) Stage 5, Monday, August 24: Les Carroz - Flaine (11.4 km, time trial) The fifth day is an 11.4-kilometer mountain time trial on the Col de Pierre-Callee. It is 11.5 kilometers long, with an average gradient of 6.4 percent. Favorites Mark Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) Henrique Bravo (Soudal Quick-Step) Matteo Ramirez (UAE Emirates-XRG) Stage 6, Tuesday, August 25: Châtillon-sur-Cluses – Val d'Isère – Col de l'Iseran (149.0 km) In Stage 6, the riders must tackle three mountain passes, with the finish line at the Col d'Iseran (2,759 meters above sea level!) after 47 kilometers of climbing at a 4.5 percent gradient. The final 11.3 kilometers average a 6.4 percent gradient, so we’re in for a grueling battle of attrition there. Favorites Mark Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) Matteo Ramirez (UAE Emirates-XRG) Remi Arsac (Decathlon CMA CGM) Stage 7, Wednesday, August 26: Strambino – Ceresole Reale, Lake Serrù (129.8 km) Compared to Saturday, today’s climb is “only” 30 kilometers, heading toward Ceresolo de Reale. We’ll tackle it at an average gradient of 5.2 percent, following a relatively flatter stage. Favorites Mark Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) Henrique Bravo (Soudal Quick-Step) Elliot Rowe (Visma | Lease a Bike) 2026 Tour de l'Avenir start list The top favorite is Mark Lorenzo Finn, riding for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. He has already won this year’s Giro Next Gen and is also the reigning U23 world champion. Sprinter Davide Donati, Paul Fietzke, Gustave Blanc, Noah Lindholm Møller Andersen, and Dutch junior world time trial champion Michiel Mouris will be there to support him. "The Tour de l’Avenir is the race I’ve been working toward all summer," says Finn. "The course suits me well, especially those last three days in the Alps. I’m here to compete for the overall victory, but I also know that this race is long and unpredictable. We have a strong team, and I hope we can make a difference over the seven days." At Visma | Lease a Bike, top talent Matisse Van Kerckhove will be at the start, but when it comes to the general classification, the focus will likely be on Britain’s Elliot Rowe. American Ashlin Barry, Slovenian Sven Mernik, and Polish rider Patrick Goszczurny have also shown promise this year, while Czech rider Matej Pitak rounds out the team. Finn’s biggest competition may come from South America, with Ecuadorian climber Matteo Ramirez (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Brazilian Henrique Bravo of Soudal Quick-Step. Ramirez has already finished second in this year’s Giro and in the Valle d’Aosta, and he excels at high altitudes. So we’ll need to keep a close eye on the teammate of Liège winner Daan Dijkman. The same goes for the Brazilian Bravo, the Giro’s No. 3, winner of the Aosta stage, and recent fourth-place finisher in the Tour de l’Ain professional race. Said Cisneros, Federico Savino, Giro Next Gen stage winner Jasper Schoofs, the strong Viktor Soenens, and Erazem Valjavec will support him. “The other riders will have the chance to compete for a good result in the early stages before fully supporting Henrique in the final stages, which are really tough,” according to Soudal Quick-Step. Lotto-Intermarché also has another strong lineup this season. Niels Driesen is the rider they’re counting on for the tough work, while Dutch rider Keije Solen will be free to do his thing in the sprints. Picnic PostNL is also counting on a Belgian-Dutch partnership, with Matteo Vanhuffel and Jurgen Zomermaand leading the charge for the general classification. All eyes in France are on the fourth- and fifth-place finishers of the Giro Next Gen: Aubin Sparfel and Remi Arsac. Sparfel is more of a punchy rider, while Arsac usually thrives on the tougher stages. Other riders worth keeping an eye on include Matteo Spalco (XDS-Astana), Noah Shelton (USA), Liam O'Brien (Lidl-Trek), Kasper Borremans (Bahrain), Adam Rafferty (Hagens Berman Jayco), Javier Cubillas (Movistar), Nicolas Milesi (INEOS), and Remi Daumas (Groupama-FDJ) are also worth keeping an eye on, if only because we might see them again in a few years! How to watch the 2026 Tour de l'Avenir on TV You can watch the Tour de l'Avenir daily on HBO Max in the UK and Europe, and on FloBikes in North America. Australian broadcaster SBS will not be showing the Tour, so you can find out other ways to watch cycling on TV here.