Organisers of Tour de l'Avenir will launch a similar stage race for under-23 women this August and revealed the route for the five-day event, August 28-September 1, 2023. The launch of the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes was announced in 2022.
The Tour de l'Avenir has launched the careers of riders like Greg LeMond, Miguel Indurain, Bauke Mollema, Nairo Quintana, Miguel Ángel López, Egan Bernal, Tadej Pogačar and, more recently, 2022 winner Cian Uijtebroecks. Now, young women will have a chance to shine in a race that is restricted to riders under the age of 23.
The inaugural Tour de l'Avenir Femmes will start on August 28th with an individual time trial around Saint-Vallier (Saône-et-Loire) that is 14.5 kilometres long.
The relatively-flat second stage will be one for the sprinters, running 91 kilometres from Charolles to Louhans Chanteurenaud. Stage 3 will be hilly but not as tough as the two final stages, covering 97 kilometres from Val d'Epy to Saint-Didier-sur-Charlaronne with total of 1,223 metres of climbing.
The final two stages will be a test for the climbers with stage 4 a mere 76 kilometres from Challes-le-Eaux to Megève with 1,941 metres of climbing. The final stage from Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc to Sainte Foy Tarentaise is 96 kilometres with a gain of 2,543 metres.
The men's Tour de l'Avenir is contested by national teams, but organisers have yet to announce participants for the UCI 2.2U-ranked race, August 20-27.
The Tour de l'Avenir Femmes is one of two stage races for under-23 women on the entire UCI road calendar along with the Watersely Ladies Challenge. There are more races for junior women including a Nations Cup.
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Since the UCI introduced the under-23 category for women at the UCI Road World Championships in 2022, more countries are holding national championships for the category but the UCI has yet to separate under-23 women from the elite field at Worlds.
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
