Organisers of the Tour de l'Avenir, Alpes Vélo, have chosen to cancel the 2020 edition of the premier under-23 stage race because of difficulties in securing the race against the coronavirus pandemic.
The 57th edition of the race was scheduled to take place as a reduced six-stage race from August 14 to 19, down from the usual ten stages.
The cancellation further complicates transfers for riders in their last year of the under-23 ranks as the Tour de l'Avenir is the proving ground for young male riders. Former winners include Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma), Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates, 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal (Team Ineos), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Marc Soler (Movistar), Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), and Nairo Quintana and Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic).
Organisers wrote that unlike for the WorldTour races, "it seems complex to scrupulously ensure that all health precautions are respected during an event that was to welcome 23 teams, mostly national selections from the European, African, Asian and American continents.
"The disparity in the health guarantees taken prior to the event, and the need for a 'hermetic bubble' within these teams from regions of the world with different levels of awareness, risked affecting the absolute priority that must be given to health conditions."
Organisers now are looking ahead to 2021 to return the race to its usual format with a Grand Depart in the Ardennes at Charleville-Mézières.
Canceling the @tourdelavenir, just two weeks before the unofficial TDF for young U23 riders - is devastating especially since many of them may not race again in 2020. Next:July 31, 2020