It’s Already Tomorrow,
The phrase has now become a familiar one. Isn’t the Tour de l’Avenir often referred to as the Tour de France for young riders?
Once again, the 2026 Tour de France reminded us just how accurately the world’s leading Under-23 race identifies tomorrow’s champions. Beyond the exceptional case of Tadej Pogačar—who has now joined the exclusive club of five-time Yellow Jersey winners (Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain), just eight years after his remarkable appearance at the 2018 Tour de l’Avenir—the race continues to prove its value year after year.
Mads Pedersen’s Green Jersey is another perfect example. Many still remember his stage victory in Arbois during the 2015 Tour de l’Avenir, won with the same attacking style that has since become his trademark. Across every classification, the Tour de France peloton is filled with riders whose careers truly took off thanks to this unique stepping stone.
Remaining faithful to its original mission, the event organised by A-Velo never stops reinventing itself. This 62nd edition welcomes development teams—the reserve squads of the world’s leading professional structures—creating a diverse and highly competitive peloton alongside the national teams. Their presence remains essential, as demonstrated by Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro, winner in 2023, who might otherwise have gone unnoticed. It is a vital contribution to the global growth of cycling, highlighted this year by Indonesia’s first-ever participation.
The Tour de l’Avenir also reflects the incredible acceleration in the development of cycling’s next generation, to the point where it already feels like tomorrow has arrived. Who better to illustrate this than Paul Seixas? Winner of last year’s Tour de l’Avenir, he went on to finish fourth in the “Grand” Tour at just 19 years of age, as if the future had instantly become the present.
Philippe BOUVET
