Contested by national teams since 2007, the Tour de l’Avenir is set for a significant shift. From the 2026 edition, the race will be open to the feeder teams of World and ProTeams–a.k.a. Continental alongside national selections.
The event organizer has formally requested that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) register the race as a 2.2U event on the international Espoirs calendar. The 2026 edition is scheduled to take place from Aug. 19 to 27.
A race adapting to modern cycling
According to A-VELO, the decision mirrors the realities of today’s top-level cycling. Following reforms introduced by the UCI, professional teams have increasingly invested in identifying and developing young riders through dedicated development squads. These teams now form a key part of the WorldTour ecosystem, serving as structured pathways for emerging talent.
The Tour de l’Avenir has a long history in cycling. It began in 1961 and since then, the “Tour of the Future” was long thought as the baby sibling of the Tour de France. In fact, many future Tour winners would have success at Avenir. Riders like Greg LeMond,Tadej Pogacar and Miguel Indurain all took dubs at Avenir before going on to take multiple Tour wins.
Since 2023, a women’s race has been held. In 2025, Isabella Holmgren took a dominant win, with multiple stage wins as well as the climber’s jersey.
The change for the men’s comes amid other changes in pro cycling for younger riders. In 2025, riders who were under-23 but riding on WorldTour or ProTeams would no longer be able to contest that category in the world championships.
Although riders on the devo teams are classified as Continental, they also have the opportunity to ride up with their WorldTour or ProTeam squads at many races–with the exception of certain races, like Grand Tours. Alpecin – Premier Tech’s Noah Ramsay, for example, who rides with the Conti team, rode with the WT team on several occasions in 2025. It gives those riders the chance to rider at a higher level and bolster both their experience in the sport. Ramsay had some solid results doing so, including an impressive 16th overall at the Région Pays de la Loire Tour.
10 development teams confirmed for 2026
Ten development teams have already confirmed their participation:
- Bahrain Victorious Development Team
- Development Team Picnic PostNL
- EF Education Aevolo
- Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy
- Lidl-Trek Future Racing
- Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe Rookies
- Soudal…
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