The time trial climb from Les Carroz to Flaine (11.4 km) delivers another day as absolute protagonist to Lorenzo Mark Finn. The world champion of Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe Rookies takes both stage victory and yellow jersey at the Tour de l'Avenir, confirming an increasingly evident superiority among the under-23 riders.
In the race against the clock, Finn was the only one to dip below 26 minutes, finishing in 25'47'', a benchmark that made the hierarchy clear from the first time checks.
Behind him, Frenchman Fabries stopped the clock at 26'21'', while Belgian Matteo Van Huffel closed in 26'53''. Completing the top five are Bravo (4th) and Van Kerckhove (5th), both delivering solid performances but far from the pace set by the new race leader. But on the course there was also another protagonist of youth cycling: Paul Seixas, camera around his neck, ready to applaud his generation's companion-rival.
Tomorrow the peloton will face the first of two mountain stages, a stage that from Châtillon-sur-Cluses will take the riders to Val d'Isère / Col de l'Iseran, after 149 kilometers of high altitude and four significant climbs. The menu is one of those that can reshape the overall classification: Col de Saisies, Col du Meraillet, Cormet de Roselend and Col de l'Iseran – 35.6 km of climbing, average gradient 4.8%, finish altitude that rivals the Alpine giants. A day that promises selection, time gaps and a mountain-top finish that could redraw the general balance of power.