Cycling
Lorenzo Finn’s dream season continues with a stunning Tour de l’Avenir win
Lorenzo Finn is taking over the U23 cycling world – and now he’s ready for the pros following a big Tour de l’Avenir win. The Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe rider is ready to step up.
Lorenzo Finn has won almost everything there is to win in the Under-23 category and now he appears to be ready to test himself against the sport’s biggest names. In 2026, the young Italian rider completed the Giro d’Italia Next Gen – Tour de l’Avenir double, bringing to a close a junior career that has established him as one of the most promising talents on the international scene.
Fifty-three years after Gianbattista Baronchelli – back in 1973 – another Italian has conquered what is effectively the Tour de France for young riders. With his win, Finn matched the legendary Baronchelli: the two Italians are the only riders to have won both the Giro d’Italia U23 and the Tour de l’Avenir in the same year. It's an achievement that underlines the calibre of the 19-year-old from Genoa, who's now on the verge of turning professional.
Lorenzo Finn had his sights set on the yellow jersey throughout
© Twila Federica Muzzi/Red Bull Content Pool
The Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe Rookies captain dominated the race. He pulled on the yellow jersey yesterday at an altitude of 2,275m at Ceresole Reale–Lago Serrù, the finish of the seventh and final stage of the ‘mini Tour de France’, having effectively sealed overall victory in the mountain time trial two days earlier from Les Carroz to Flaine in the French Alps’ Haute-Savoie region. In truth, Finn had set the pace perfectly from the outset at the Avenir, gaining two minutes on his main rivals on the opening stage. Between the time trial and the climbs, he swept aside the competition, crossing the line alone yesterday with his arms raised. He finished 2m 34s ahead of Niels Driesen (Lotto) and 3m 42s ahead of Matteo Vanhuffel (Picnic Devo), the two Belgians who completed the 2026 podium.
Just a few metres beyond the finish line, he dismounted and raised his bike towards the sky: “I’m really happy," he said. "Winning a mountain stage, and in the yellow jersey to boot, is the icing on the cake. I have to thank the team – everyone gave their all for me and together we put the plan we’d devised into action.”
There was no shortage of people waiting to embrace him: his mum Chiara, his dad Peter and his girlfriend Fabiana, who have always been by his side, as well as his team-mates and even his rivals.
Finn is accompanied everywhere by his parents and his girlfriend, Fabiana
© Twila Federica Muzzi/Red Bull Content Pool
A tradition of champions
The Tour de l'Avenir has a long tradition of producing champions. Felice Gimondi won it in 1964, Greg LeMond in 1982, Miguel Indurain in 1986 and Tadej Pogačar in 2018, to name just a few.
Speaking of legends, the man who presented Finn with his prize was Breton great Bernard Hinault, who won 11 Grand Tours, five Monuments and a World Championship during his career. Hinault also had some glowing words for the young Italian. “By 2024 he had already won the Junior World Championship. There are now plenty of signs pointing in his favour, and he can be considered a potential champion. He is a complete rider with a great attacking mindset; he has already achieved his most important victories by breaking away from the pack.”
Italy swept the board at the Tour de l’Avenir
© Twila Federica Muzzi/Red Bull Content Pool
“Lollo”, as he's known to his family, is grateful for the faith placed in him, but remains grounded. “These two years in the Under-23s have been wonderful and intense, with ups and downs. I’ve managed to achieve the goals I set myself; I’ve got to know my body better and learned how to manage races and training camps more effectively. These are all things that will serve me well. I’ve come full circle and now I feel ready to make the leap to the big time. This was my last race in the junior category. Among the professionals, it will be a different story, one yet to be written,” said the Ligurian, who in his last 11 months has already won the World Championship in Rwanda and the pink jersey at the Giro Next Gen.
Lorenzo Finn proved himself on every type of terrain
© Twila Federica Muzzi/Red Bull Content Pool
So far this season, Finn has alternated between junior races and events against senior riders, securing his first victories in early July at the Sibiu Tour in Romania. He also had to deal with an unexpected setback at the Tour of the Alps, where he crashed and fractured his wrist. He bounced back, however, and by June had already swept aside the competition at the ‘baby’ Giro.
Finn prepares for the professional ranks
Finn will compete against the pros at the upcoming World Championships
© Twila Federica Muzzi/Red Bull Content Pool
Now, following some well-deserved celebrations, he'll compete in a number of Italian races with the first team, before hopefully racing his first World Championships as a professional on September 27 in Montreal, Canada.
Pending the official announcement of the squad, it bodes well that Italy has swept the board at the Tour de l’Avenir. Finn claimed both the white jersey for the best young rider and the polka-dot jersey for the best climber, while the green points jersey went to Thomas Capra of Bahrain Devo.
“This was an important race for me and the team, a clear objective, and I’m proud that we’ve achieved it,” he said at the end of the Tour de l’Avenir. “Now, however, we’re starting afresh. A new chapter begins today.” We can’t wait to see what comes next.
