The Tour de l’Avenir, the 62nd edition of which will take place from Thursday 20 to Wednesday 26 August, remains true to its roots whilst introducing innovations in line with the overall evolution of international cycling.
The race, organised by A-VELO with the support of the Tour de France, remains the benchmark event on the calendar for under-23 hopefuls, a veritable Tour de France for young riders, won last year by Paul SEIXAS.
This format sees a significant change in terms of participation, which is now open to development teams, particularly the ‘reserves’ from the UCI WorldTour.
The route for this edition, which marks a new chapter in the long history of the Tour de l’Avenir, has now been announced
The race will start in Normandy – a first – from the Caen la Mer urban community, and more specifically from Ouistreham Riva-Bella (Calvados), a key site of the ‘longest day’, as it was on the beach known as Sword that part of the Allied forces landed at dawn on 6 June 1944. It was also in this sector, assigned to British troops, that the very first French commandos set foot on home soil.
Gravel for the time trial
The 2026 Tour de l’Avenir will set off from the Normandy coast on a long journey to reach the Alps, via Argentan (Orne), the Perche region (Nogent-le-Rotrou), the Loire Valley (Amboise), Sologne (Vierzon) and then Bourgogne, with a now familiar stopover in Saint-Vallier followed by Semur-en-Auxois – two inspiring stages for the breakaway riders on the roads of Saône-et-Loire and Côte d’Or departments.
As usual, a trio of Alpine stages will bring the race to a close, starting with a mountain individual time trial between the resorts of Les Carroz and Flaine in Haute-Savoie, via the Col de Pierre Carrée, and finishing with a gravel-style finale.
On the eve of the final finish, the queen stage will end at the summit of the Col de l’Iseran, Europe’s highest road pass (2,764 m), which overlooks the Haute Tarentaise, a region that has become a regular fixture on the race’s itinerary over the years.
Finally, as in 2024, the Metropolitan City of Turin will allow the Tour de l’Avenir to reach its conclusion in Italy, not this time at the summit of the Col delle Finestre, but on the heights of Ceresole Reale, where the 2019 Giro ventured for a grand finale towards Lake Serru at an altitude of over 2 200 m.
In total, seven days of racing that will give the world’s top young hopefuls the chance to prove themselves on a wide variety of terrain.
The Stages
Wednesday 19 August : Teams presentation : Caen la Mer – Ouistreham Riva-Bella (Calvados)
Thursday 20 August : Ouistreham Riva-Bella (Calvados) – Argentan (Orne) : 152 km
Friday 21 August : Nogent-le-Rotrou (Eure-et-Loir) – Amboise (Indre-et-Loire) : 116 km
Saturday 22 August : Vierzon (Cher) – Saint-Vallier (Saône-et-Loire) : 232 km
Sunday 23 August : Saint-Vallier (Saône-et-Loire) – Semur-en-Auxois (Côte d’Or) : 131 km
Monday 24 August : Les Carroz – Flaine (Haute-Savoie) : Contre-la-Montre Individuel : 16 km (D+ 760 m)
Tuesday 25 August : Châtillon-sur-Cluses (Haute-Savoie) – Val d’Isère, Col de l’Iseran (Haute Tarentaise Vanoise, Savoie) : 149 km (D+ 4 945 m)
Wednesday 26 August : Strambino (Ville Métropole de Turin) – Ceresole Reale Lago Serrù : 130 km (D+ 2 772 m)
TOTAL : 926 km (D+ 13 532m)
