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News & Racing<\/a><\/p>\n The loss of the premier stage race for U23 women is indicative of a category in flux. What happens now?<\/p>\n The medalists in the first-ever U23 women’s road race at Worlds in Kigali last year. From left to right: Vikt\u00f3ria Chlado\u0148ov\u00e1, C\u00e9lia Gery, and Paula Blasi.<\/p>\n In early March, organisers of the women\u2019s Tour de l\u2019Avenir revealed that the race\u2019s 2026 edition had been cancelled<\/a>. It was a hammer blow for emerging female road riders \u2013 the only standalone stage race for U23 women on the international calendar, gone, just three years after it began.<\/p>\n It had seemed like the U23 women\u2019s road scene was moving in an encouraging direction. In addition to the Tour de l\u2019Avenir\u2019s growth, a standalone U23 women\u2019s road race and time trial had been added to the Road World Championships, starting with Kigali 2025. No one would have argued that the U23 women\u2019s scene was thriving, but there were more races at that level than there had been.<\/p>\n So what now? What does the future hold for the U23 scene now that its flagship race is gone? What does this mean for young riders who are trying to take that daunting step from U19s to the highest levels of the sport?<\/p>\n Collapse of a category<\/p>\n When the Tour de l\u2019Avenir Femmes\u2019 cancellation was announced, organisers claimed several reasons<\/a> for the decision: a lack of women\u2019s U23 teams; the fact many Tour de l\u2019Avenir Femmes riders had already been racing at WorldTour level; and the \u201cresources required\u201d to run the race.<\/p>\n Donna Rae-Szalinski is the director of pathways at AusCycling, the governing body for Australian cycling. She says she was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d by the cancellation of this year\u2019s Tour de l\u2019Avenir Femmes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just a great opportunity for them [young Australian riders] to gauge where they are against others in their age group on an international scale,\u201d Szalinski told Escape. \u201cAnd it was just that lovely bridge. It’s a very big gap from U19 to WorldTour, and it was just a lovely, lovely bridge for anybody, but specifically the U23 Australians, because we have a strong emphasis in our female cohort on trying to acquire a university degree concurrently with their actual cycling career.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Australian scenario is more complex than European U23s because for our U23s, you can’t concurrently be a bike rider and pursue an education, because you can’t go back and forth from home to races, etc. So it is always a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n Loren Rowney<\/a> is an Australian former road professional, co-host of Escape\u2019s Wheel Talk Podcast, and a rider agent with The Team Cycling agency (formerly Wasserman Cycling). She echoed Rae-Szalinski\u2019s assessment, saying the loss of L\u2019Avenir is particularly significant for non-European riders.<\/p>\n \u201c[L\u2019Avenir] was the one big opportunity,\u201d she told Escape. \u201cThat could be a launch pad for so many riders, and they’re up against these already well-established U23s that are racing on pro level or in a WorldTour team. So it’s really disappointing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s like, why do you have this standalone U23 Worlds race \u2013 which is great; it’s a great platform for the riders \u2013 but there’s nothing else around it. Nothing. And you just removed the one tour where these riders had the opportunity to just have a real experience within their own category? It’s mindblowing.\u201d<\/p>\n With the Tour de l\u2019Avenir Femmes cancelled, only a couple races remain on the U23 women\u2019s calendar this year: the time trial and road race at Worlds in Canada, and the same at the European Championships. By contrast, the 2026 men\u2019s U23 calendar features 26 separate events<\/a>, not including the European and World Championships.<\/p>\n The cancellation of the Tour de l\u2019Avenir Femmes is only part of the problem. The race’s demise also highlights that there aren\u2019t as many pathways to the pro ranks as there once were, especially when it comes to some national programs.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think of the programs that Spratty [Amanda Spratt] came through, Tiff Cromwell, Carlee Taylor, Gracie Elvin, myself \u2013 none of that exists,\u201d Rowney said of the Australian context. \u201cSo that AIS [Australian Institute of Sport] program that we had for so long was such a good pathway for Australians to get to Europe, and actually, the USA used to also have a pretty good program that did two trips, just like the Aussies. Lots of talented US riders over the past generations came through that system. It just no longer exists. They [the national bodies] put the responsibility now on the cycling teams.<\/p>\n \u201cAusCycling wants Olympians, right? Because Olympians are what gets funding. So they’re supporting the U19s to a degree, but they need to support the U23s as well. I think that’s lacking a bit. And that was actually the opinion of one of the managers I was talking to as well. He said, \u2018It’s just a shame we don’t have these national programs anymore. There’s really a gap there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Rowney believes that the American criterium scene, which she and many other riders once used as stepping stone to Europe, also isn\u2019t what it used to be.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Lauretta Hanson’s generation was the last generation that could still do a really good program over there; do some racing in Europe with the American Conti team, and get seen that way,\u201d she said. \u201cThat pathway no longer exists.\u201d<\/p>\n So what pathways are still open to emerging female road racers? Performing well in one of a handful of events is one avenue.<\/p>\n This post is for paying subscribers only Already have an account? Sign in<\/a><\/p>\n Did we do a good job with this story?<\/p>\n \n \ud83d\udc4dYep![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Matt-de-Neef-150x150.jpg\")
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The Tour de l’Avenir Femmes was a rare opportunity for riders to race in a dedicated U23 field, while representing their country. (Image: Tour de l’Avenir)Broken pathways<\/p>\n
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