The Race

The Haute-Tarentaise will host the Grand Départs and Final Finishes of the Women’s and Men’s Tours de l’Avenir for a packed and varied week that will determine the winners of the “CIC” Yellow Jerseys, as well as the new great hopes of world cycling.

The Women’s and Men’s Hopefuls will virtually share the same route from Saturday, August 23rd to Friday, August 29th, in the Tours de l’Avenir – held in Lyon at the headquarters of the CIC Lyonnaise de Banque – which, for the third year, is a women’s version of this true Tour de France for young riders.

The Haute-Tarentaise, the usual venue for the event, will be its epicenter, as the Grand Départs will take the form of prologues from Tignes, while the two events will conclude at an altitude of 2,000m, in the magnificent setting of the La Rosière Espace San Bernardo golf course.

The Tours de l’Avenir, organized by A-VELO with the support of the International Cycling Union and the Tour de France (Amaury Sport Organization), will once again be held this year under the national team formula (25 teams for men, 15 for women), open to promising female and male riders under 23 (U23).

There is no doubt that the 2025 editions will continue the tradition of the event, which has produced many great names in cycling, such as Egan Bernal (2017), Tadej Pogacar (2018), and Isaac Del Toro (2023), the first Mexican leader in a Grand Tour, who wore the pink jersey at the current Giro d’Italia. The same is true for the young women’s race, where Frenchwoman Marion Bunel demonstrated her mountain skills last year. The mountains, in keeping with the race’s DNA, will always be predominant, with the Cormet de Roselend, the Col du Petit Saint Bernard, and the Colle San Carlo (10 km at an average gradient of 10%) as major challenges. However, there will be something for everyone (punchers, road warriors, and sprinters will also have their share) throughout the race week (a steep uphill prologue and six road stages for the men, with a rest day for the women).

A sort of large loop traced mainly within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, but also in Burgundy-Franche-Comté through the Saône-et-Loire and Jura departments.

And since the Tour de l’Avenir is aimed at the international cycling community, a foray into Italy will mark the final day of racing in collaboration with the organizing committee of the Tour du Val d’Aoste, another major event reserved for international hopefuls.

A FIRST WITH THE FORUM OF HOPES
Note that the Grand Départ in Tignes will feature two side events. First, a timed event open to all, which will precede the prologue. And above all, a major first with the U23 Cycling Forum, designed to raise awareness among young female and male hopefuls about various topics in high-level sport: performance, safety, team lifestyle, etc. This educational initiative will mark this major gathering of the world’s top hopefuls, with various speakers from institutions, the field of expertise, and the professional world who will interact with the young riders. Furthermore, the Tours de l’Avenir will be broadcast live on Eurosport Max and on La Chaîne L’Equipe with a delayed broadcast.

As in recent years, the CIC, a major partner, will sponsor the yellow jersey for both events; the long-standing and loyal sponsor, Alden, remains the sponsor of the polka-dot jersey for best climber; and Biofioul, the sponsor of the green jersey. The succession of the British Joseph BLACKMORE and Marion BUNEL, winner and 2024 laureate, is open.