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The Race

15 Tour de France were won by the winners of the Tour de l'Avenir: Felice Gimondi, Joop Zoetemelk, Greg Lemond, Miguel Indurain, Laurent Fignon, Egan Bernal and Tadej Pogačar.

Memories ... of the Future

Race poster
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The 59th edition of the Tour de l’Avenir will take place from August 20 to 27, 2023.

It was five years ago. Five years already. Only four years. We observed Tadej Pogačar on the final podium erected in the mountain village of Saint-Colomban-des-Villars at the conclusion of the Tour de l’Avenir 2018.

A revealing edition, even more than usual. We remember thinking that he did not really look like this young Slovenian with adolescent looks. He was not twenty years old. Nothing was known of him yet, except all the same that he had won the round of the U23 Nations Cup, of which the famous new version of the Peace Race was the support.

On this Tour de l’Avenir, he had come to seek confirmation. He had been amazing throughout the Savoyard sequence. However, he had not signed a resounding feat, not even a stage victory, but he had defended himself with grit and incredible mastery, alone against almost everyone, while his opponents at the time were ‘called Brandon McNulty – who had become one of his best teammates -, Alexander Vlasov (5th in the recent Tour de France) or even Ivan Sosa, cited then as the great favorite to succeed his Colombian compatriot Egan Bernal, winner of the Tour de the future 2017.

Tadej Pogačar had not trembled when each day a dangerous breakaway jeopardized his advantageous position. He put himself at the helm of the peloton, the Colombians in his wheel whose defense was unraveling under the rhythm imposed by the Slovenian, and it was so until the last four kilometers of this edifying Tour de l’Avenir where he s imposed at the end of the suspense.
We remember having thought to ourselves: “Who is this guy? Not really a roller, not a pure climber, but he can do everything. “And we had come to this somewhat simplistic conclusion, we are willing to admit, but all the same premonitory: “This Pogačar is of the stamp of a Merckx, or a Hinault, in anyway a very big one…. »

Curiously, a certain Jonas Vingegaard also took part in this 2018 edition of the Tour de l’Avenir. And there, curiously, not the slightest memory… He was however part of the victorious Danish selection of the Orleans team time trial, but we noticed rather that it was led by Mikkel Bjerg, world champion hopes of the specialty. De Vingegaard, not the slightest trace of an individual performance, which did not prevent him from joining the World Tour the following year. His talent had not gone unnoticed by everyone…

Five years. Since then, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard have won three Tours de France between them!

To say that the Tour de l’Avenir is revealing is an understatement. And it not only gives future yellow jerseys, but regularly delivers future sizes to elite cycling, and provides a substantial part of the current Tour de France peloton.

Jumbled up, images come back. It was Mads Pedersen, the future world champion, who won at Arbois in 2015. Or Kasper Asgreen who resisted the peloton at Loudéac in 2017, and Fabio Jakobsen who won the sprint that year at Melrand. It’s still Tom Pidcock who is damaged in a terrible fall in the diving on Privat, in 2019, which does not prevent him from being a prodigy of the descent as we saw on the recent Tour de France where this little guy with great talent won the mythical stage of Alpe d’Huez!

No doubt. When you follow the Tour de l’Avenir closely, whether on the road, on Eurosport, on social networks or in the regional press which fulfills its role magnificently, you are sure to have a very good idea of what will be world cycling and the Tour de France peloton in the very near future.

Philippe BOUVET

Race poster
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Date StartFinish Type Distance Climbing Video Presented by
Stage 1
20 August
Sunday 20 August
Carnac (1:15 pm)
La Gacilly
Flat
140 km
+1,300 m
3:00 pm
Stage 2
21 August
Monday 21 August
Nozay (12:15 pm)
Chinon
Flat
195 km
+1,377 m
3:32 pm
Stage 3
22 August
Tuesday 22 August
Vatan (2:30 pm)
Issoudun
Team time trial
27 km
+145 m
3:00 pm
Stage 4
23 August
Wednesday 23 August
Aigurande  (12:00 pm)
Evaux-les-Bains
Hilly
150 km
+2,070 m
2:00 pm
Stage 5
24 August
Thursday 24 August
La Tour-de-Salvagny (10:30 am)
Lac d'Aiguebelette
Hilly
138 km
+1,300 m
12:15 pm
Stage 6
25 August
Friday 25 August
Méribel (2:00 pm)
Col de la Loze
Mountain
69 km
+2,391 m
2:30 pm
Stage 7 A
26 August am
Saturday 26 August am
Montricher-Albanne (9:30 am)
Les Karellis
Time trial
11 km
+885 m
STAGE 7 B
26 August pm
Saturday 26 August pm
Les Karellis (3:00 pm)
Val-Cenis Col du Mont Cenis
Mountain
70 km
+2,084 m
3:30 pm
Stage 8
27 August
Sunday 27 August
Val-Cenis (1:00 pm)
Sainte Foy Tarentaise
Mountain
100 km
+2,687 m
2:14 pm

The Prizes

Awarded at the end of each stage

Yellow Jersey

General classification leader
The general individual time classification is established by adding the times recorded by each rider in the 9 stages. The yellow jersey is worn by the rider leading the race.
Presented by

Polka dot jersey

Best climber
Covered by the rider who accumulates the greatest number of points acquired on the summits of the climbs and passes listed and classified by category.

Green jersey

Leader of the points ranking
Worn by the leader of the points classification. Points are awarded at each stage finish and at the intermediate sprint in some road stages.
Presented by

White jersey

Best younger
The general individual time classification is established by adding the times recorded by each rider in the 9 stages. The white jersey is worn by the rider in the 19-20 age category who is best placed in the general classification of the event.
Presented by

Stage victory

Winner of the day
Each day, the first rider to cross the finish line receives praise from the race announcer on the podium and is honoured by five-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault.

Combativity prize

The most combative rider
Awarded at the end of each stage by a jury chaired by the event director to the rider who is the most generous in his or her efforts and shows the best sportsmanship. The winning rider wears a red number on the next stage.
Presented by

Awarded on the last day

Team classification

Best Team at the general classification
The team classification is established by adding the times of the three best riders from each team on each stage.

Super combative rider

Super combative rider
The Super Combative rider of the Tour de l'Avenir is chosen by the jury at the end of the last stage.

History

The Tour de l’Avenir was created in 1961 by Jacques Marchand, editor-in-chief of the newspaper L’Équipe.

The race has changed names several times throughout its history. From 1972 to 1979, it was called the Peugeot Future Trophy in reference to its official sponsor.

Then from 1986 to 1990, this event took the name of the Tour of the European Community since it was organized by the competition of the European Community and the European Parliament.

And it was finally in 1992 that it took on the current name of Tour de l’Avenir.

At its birth, it brought together national teams made up of eight riders, half of whom were under 25 years old.
Gradually, the race was opened up to professionals.

Since 2007, the event has been entirely dedicated to young runners aged 19 to 23.

The Tour de l’Avenir is now part of the UCI U23 Nations Cup (category 2.Ncup).

The previous edition

  • Winner
    Cian UIJTDEBROEKS
  • Second
    Johannes STAUNE MITTET
  • Third
    Michel HESSMAN
  • Green Jersey
    Casper VAN UDEN
  • Polka Dot Jersey
    Cian UIJTDEBROEKS
  • Super combative rider
    Romain GREGOIRE
  • Team Classification
    ITALIE

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a great cycling region. Every year, we host top-class cycling races, starting with the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de France. The Tour de l'Avenir is undoubtedly one of them, as the 5 regional stages of this 2023 edition bear witness.

A veritable Tour de France for the under-23s, this race is an incredible revelation of talent. Many former winners of the event have gone on to win the Grande Boucle, in the image of past legends such as Greg Lemond, Laurent Fignon and Miguel Indurain, as well as up-and-coming stars such as Tadej Pogačar. It also enables us to propel our young regional riders into the peloton's elite, with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Espoirs team proudly defending our colours once again this year.

My attachment to cycling is well known. It embodies values that are dear to me: a sense of effort, self-sacrifice and surpassing oneself. Through our support for this event, we want to promote these values and spread them to as many people as possible.

I'd like to offer my warmest congratulations to the riders who, from Brittany to the peaks of the Alps, will be bringing our shared passion for cycling to life!

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The race palmarès
2022Cian UIJTDEBROEKS (BEL)
2021Tobias JOHANNESSEN (NOR)
2020Annulé
2019Tobias FOSS (NOR)
2018Tadej POGACAR (SLO)
2017Egan BERNAL (COL)
2016David GAUDU (FRA)
2015Marc SOLER GIMENEZ (ESP)
2014Miguel Angel LOPEZ (COL)
2013Ruben FERNANDEZ ANDUJAR (ESP)
2012Warren BARGUIL (FRA)
2011Esteban CHAVES (COL)
2010Nairo QUINTANA (COL)
2009Romain SICARD (FRA)
2008Jan BAKELANTS (BEL)
2007Bauke MOLLEMA (NED)
2006Moisés DUENAS (ESP)
2005Lars Ytting BAK (DEN)
2004Sylvain CALZATI (FRA)
2003Egoi MARTINEZ (ESP)
2002Evgueni PETROV (RUS)
2001Denis MENCHOV (RUS)
2000Iker FLORES (ESP)
1999Unai OSA (ESP)
1998Christophe RINERO (FRA)
1997Laurent ROUX (FRA)
1996David ETXEBARRIA (ESP)
1995Emmanuel MAGNIEN (FRA)
1994Angel CASERO (ESP)
1993Thomas DAVY (FRA)
1992Hervé GAREL (FRA)
1991aucun
1990Johan BRUYNEEL (BEL)
1989Pascal LINO (FRA)
1988Laurent FIGNON (FRA)
1987Marc MADIOT (FRA)
1986Miguel INDURAIN (ESP)
1985Martin RAMIREZ (COL)
1984Charly MOTTET (FRA)
1983Olaf LUDWIG (ALL)
1982Greg LEMOND (USA)
1981Pascal SIMON (FRA)
1980Alfonso FLOREZ (COL)
1979Sergueï SOUKHOROUTCHENKOV (URS)
1978Sergueï SOUKHOROUTCHENKOV (URS)
1977Eddy SCHEPERS (BEL)
1976Sven-Ake NILSSON (SWE)
1975Aucun
1974Enrique MARTINEZ HEREDI (ESP)
1973Gianbattista BARONCHELLI (ITA)
1972Fedor DEN HERTOG (NED)
1971Régis OVION (FRA)
1970Marcel DUCHEMIN (FRA)
1969Joop ZOETEMELK (FRA)
1968Jean-Pierre BOULARD (FRA)
1967Christian ROBINI (FRA)
1966Mino DENTI (ITA)
1965Mariano DIAZ (ESP)
1964Felice GIMONDI (ITA)
1963André ZIMMERMANN (FRA)
1962Antonio GOMEZ DEL MORAL (ESP)
1961Guido DE ROSSO (ITA)