Canada’s Michael Leonard, in his third year with Ineos, won Sunday’s prologue of the Tour de l’Avenir, the vaunted “Tour de France for amateurs”, taking the first yellow leader’s jersey. Unfortunately, Leonard doesn’t get credit for a first professional victory even though he is one, but he did get to meet Bernard Hinault.
⏱️ 55,81 : la vitesse moyenne réalisé @mleonard04 Michael Shea LEONARD pour rallier les 7,06km du prologue inaugural. 🚀
💛 Il devient par la même occasion le premier maillot jaune @cic de cette 60ème édition.#TDAV #TourdelAvenir ✨ pic.twitter.com/l8Qg0R4TzB
— Tour de l’Avenir (@tourdelavenir) August 18, 2024
The Tour de l’Avenir is contested by national teams, and Leonard is joined by compatriots Félix Bouchard, Jérémie La Grenade, Jonas Walton, Leonard Peloquin and Quentin Cowan for the seven stages in France.
The Tour de l’Avenir is in its 60th edition and has been won by riders like Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Laurent Fignon, Nairo Quintana, Egan Bernal, Tadej Pogačar and, most recently, Mexican Isaac del Toro, who took a stage of the Tour Down Under and placed fourth overall at Tirreno-Adriatico in his first year with UAE-Emirates.
Leonard rolled the 7.1 time trial in Sarrebourg in 7:59, six seconds faster than Britain’s Joseph Blackmore.
There are summit finishes on Stages 4, 5 and 7.
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