Ideally, from the beaches of Normandy you can see the Italian Alps: certainly, what has taken substantial form here, in the places of the Allied Landing, is in every way the Tour of the Young, a showcase of talents ready to soar towards a career as champions among the professionals.

Suffice it to say that the defending champion is Paul Seixas, it should be added that on the podium of the Grande Boucle 2026 two winners of the Tour de l'Avenir have climbed, Tadej Pogacar and Isaac Del Toro. The 62nd edition of the main stage race for under 23s that in the lineup of protagonists assigns Lorenzo Finn an Oscar-worthy cinematic role. Yes, an Italian success at the Avenir has been missing since 1973, when Baronchelli won, one more reason to place hope in the two-time world champion, riding for Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe Rookies.

The Ligurian, already winner of the Giro Next Gen, has demonstrated his ability to manage the pressure of being a favorite, while knowing that within the 16 Development teams at the start there are prominent names, to be taken into absolute consideration, for example Brazilian Henrique Bravo (Soudal Quick-Step) and Ecuadorian Mateo Ramires (UAE Team Emirates Gen Z), respectively third and second in the race that awarded the pink jersey to Finn.

In France, the two from Decathlon CMA CGM Development Aubin Sparfel and Rémi Arsac present important credentials. The format has changed, with the opening to World Tour development squads, but the presence of national selections including the Italian one directed by Marino Amadori remains. Overall, young riders destined to populate the professional peloton, standing on the shoulders of Giants of the caliber of Felice Gimondi, Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Laurent Fignon and Tadej Pogačar. Prestigious winners of an event destined to return to Italian roads just two years after the previous arrival at the top of Colle delle Finestre. So, in this way, a cross-border territorial dimension sanctioned by the two-day Alpine stage that provides for Tuesday a finish at the Iseran. On Provincial Road 50 of Colle del Nivolet, at the 2275 meters of Lago Serrù, where at the 2019 Giro Zakarin won, the last spectacular and selective stage, within the Gran Paradiso National Park. A stage entirely in the Canavese area, presented by Sonia Cambursano, Metropolitan Councilor delegated to tourism and Mayor of Strambino: “We have proposed a stage that will enhance the Canavese hilly territory, touching for example Caravino, Romano Canavese, San Martino, Agliè. The riders will touch Rivarolo, Pont and Cuorgné and will travel the entire Orco Valley. Thanks to the live broadcast on Eurosport, the final stage of the Tour de l'Avenir will be an unmissable opportunity for visibility and promotion for the Canavese, the Orco Valley and the Gran Paradiso National Park”.

The stages and numbers of the 2026 Tour de l'Avenir
- Thursday, August 20 Ouistreham-Riva Bella (Calvados Department)-Argentan (Orne Department) 152 km
- Friday, August 21 Nogent-le-Rotrou (Eure-et-Loir)-Amboise (Indre-et-Loire) 116 km
- Saturday, August 22 Vierzon (Cher)-Saint-Vallier (Saône-et-Loire) 232 km
- Sunday, August 23 Saint-Vallier (Saône-et-Loire)-Semur-en-Auxois (Côte d'Or) 131 km
- Monday, August 24 individual time trial Les Carroz-Flaine (Haute-Savoie) 16 km with positive elevation gain of 760 meters
- Tuesday, August 25 Châtillon-sur-Cluses (Haute-Savoie)-Val d'Isère-Col de l'Iseran (Haute Tarentaise, Savoie) 149 km with positive elevation gain of 4945 meters
- Wednesday, August 26 Strambino-Ceresole Reale-Lago Serrù (Metropolitan City of Turin) 130 km with positive elevation gain of 2556 meters.

Total km 926 km, total positive elevation gain 13,316 meters

THE STARTERS

France
1. LESUEUR Louka
2. BLAISE Arthur
3. LAMBERT WETZEL Tom
4. COUDIERE-CANTIN Timothee
5. VEZIE Maxime
6. LANGELLA Lenaic

Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies
11. FINN Lorenzo Mark
12. BLANC Gustave
13. DONATI Davide
14. FIETZKE Paul
15. MOLLER ANDERSEN Noah Lindholm
16. MOURIS Michiel

XDS Astana Development Team
21. SCALCO Matteo
22. ZANINI Simone
23. NEGRENTE Mattia
24. BASHLYKOV Vladislav
25. PODLUZHNYY Mikhail
26. DELLE VEDOVE Alessio

Norway
31. MARTINSEN Georg Rydningen
32. SEKSE Jorgen
33. VESLUM Sebastian
34. KJELDSAND Karl Emil
35. BJUNE Ulrik
36. OKSNES Hakon Eiksund

Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development
41. VAN KERCKHOVE Matisse
42. MERNIK Sven Aleksander
43. PITAK Matej
44. ROWE Elliot
45. GOSZCZURNY Patryk
46. BARRY Ashlin

Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team
51. BRAVO Henrique
52. SCHOOFS Jasper
53. VALJAVEC Erazem
54. SAVINO Federico
55. CISNEROS Jose Said
56. SOENENS Viktor

United States
71. DRAKE Beckam
72. SHELTON Marcis
73. LOKEY Kai
74. KREIKEMEIER Kade
75. SHELTON Noah
76. BESHORE Garrett

UAE Team Emirates Gen Z
81. RAMIREZ Mateo
82. FABRIES Ugo
83. FUGGER Heimo
84. DIJKMAN Daan
85. SAMBINELLO Enea
86. STELLA Davide

Lotto - Groupe Wanty
91. DE KEERSMAEKER Mathias
92. DRIESEN Niels
93. EEMAN Kamiel
94. POELVOORDE Tars
95. SOLEN Keije
96. MARIVOET Duarte

Italy
101. ANASTASIA Tommaso
102. ARRIGHETTI Nicolo'
103. BOSIO Tommaso
104. BOZZOLA Mirko
105. CATTANI Alessandro
106. LORELLO Riccardo

Lidl - Trek Future Racing
111. O'BRIEN Liam
112. VANDEN EYNDE Mats
113. FRYDKJAER Patrick Boje
114. BESSEGA Andrea
115. URKAREGI Enaut
116. WARD Jack

Bahrain Victorious Development Team
121. BORREMANS Kasper
122. RAYMOND William
123. FELDHOFFER Balint
124. HOFER Valentin
125. JACKOWIAK Jan Michal
126. CAPRA Thomas

Decathlon CMA CGM Development Team
131. ARSAC Remi
132. CHALEIL Louis
133. HAUGLAND Kasper
134. SPARFEL Aubin
135. VAN BYLEN Liam
136. VASSAL Theophile

Indonesia
141. SYELHAN Muhammad
142. ABI MANYU Julian
143. HAFIZH Muhammad
144. AFLAH Muhammad
145. SENA Arkana Galih Hafizh
146. HIDAYATULLAH Syarif

Tudor Pro Cycling Team U23
151. CASAGRANDE Diego
152. MEDWAY Jackson
153. VAN DEN BOER Seppe
154. LECOQ Baptiste
155. HUBER Jan
156. KESSLER Bruno

Groupama-FDJ United CT
161. BLANC Johan
162. DAUMAS Remi
163. FOUCHER Esteban
164. LOULERGUE Victor
165. ROBERTS Reef
166. RUESCHE Soan

Germany
171. BEHRENS Eike
172. BRENNER Mauro
173. GLOSSNER Tim
174. PENNA Fausto Valentin
175. PETRY Paul-Felix
176. ZEMKE Jermaine

Development Team Picnic PostNL
181. ZOMERMAAND Jurgen
182. JACOBS Lennes
183. PEACE Matthew
184. VAN REES Christiaan
185. VANHUFFEL Matteo
186. DE CEUSTER Milan

Hagens Berman Jayco
191. RAFFERTY Adam
192. GAFFNEY David
193. HOLMES Wil
194. SERANGELI Giacomo
195. MANION Vinnie
196. WIGGINS Ben

Canada
201. MATTERN Carson
202. COUTURE Samuel
203. SMITH Adam
204. DUARTE Filipe
205. RIGBY Monty
206. SEGUIN Gabriel

INEOS Grenadiers Racing Academy
211. DODD Matthew
212. FRIGO Davide
213. HINDS Max
214. MAEKELE Milkias
215. MILESI Nicolas
216. QUINTERO Juan Diego

Poland
221. LEWANDOWSKI Dawid
222. WLODARSKI Marcin
223. SURDYK Filip
224. WISNIEWSKI Szymon
225. MATUSZEWSKI Franciszek
226. ILSKI Szymon

EF Education - Aevolo
231. CARSTENSEN Magnus
232. BUENO Alfredo
233. PATTINSON Tomos
234. MARIN Miguel Angel
235. CUSACK Nathan
236. SHERRY Gavin

UCI WCC Men's Team
241. TEWELDEBRHAN Yafiet
242. EFRIEM Nahom
243. BASARABA Mykhailo
244. MEUNIER SOW Neriah
245. MARIN Juan Esteban
246. RIZQI Dimas Nur Fadhil

Movistar Team Academy
251. CASTRO Sebastian
252. CUBILLAS Javier
253. FORLIN Daniele
254. PARETA Roger
255. PROIETTI GAGLIARDONI Mattia
256. VILLATE Ibai