'Next big thing' Lorenzo Finn (19) is having a breakout 2026; soon he'll face Tadej Pogačar in the big leagues

Lorenzo Finn claimed the overall victory in the Tour de l'Avenir on Wednesday, capping off his time in the U23 ranks. The 19-year-old Italian, riding for the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe development team, is making an immediate transition to the pro ranks as the winner of the World Championships, the Giro Next Gen, and the Tour de l'Avenir.

Finn—who went on to become junior world champion in 2024 and immediately continued his winning streak in the espoirs category in 2025 — capped off his time in the under-23 category on Wednesday by winning the final stage and the overall classification at the Tour de l'Avenir. He had already been wearing the yellow jersey since his victory in Monday’s mountain time trial.

The Italian succeeds Paul Seixas on the list of winners, which in recent years has also included names such as Tadej Pogacar, Egan Bernal, and Isaac del Toro. Even more impressive: Finn is the first rider since Gianbattista Baronchelli in 1973 to win both the Giro and the Tour for U23 riders in a single year—and the first ever to do so while wearing the world champion’s jersey.

At the top of Lagu Serru, family and friends had been rounded up to celebrate the end of the U23 category with a great party. “I couldn’t have ended this Tour de l’Avenir any better. I’m incredibly grateful to the team. We gave it our all for the stage win today. The final climb was very tough, and I’m so happy I was able to finish it.”

"The fact that the race ended in Italy makes it even more special—there were so many people cheering me on during that final climb and throughout the entire day. Along with the Giro Next Gen, the Tour de l’Avenir was my main goal this year, and I won both of them. I’m very proud of that,” said the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider.

"Winning in the yellow jersey is always something special. That was exactly the plan—and the team executed it perfectly today. Michiel Mouris and Davide Donati controlled the stage from the start and didn’t let the breakaway get too far ahead at any point,” team director Pello Olaberria emphasized afterward.

"After that, Noah Lindholm Møller Andersen and Paul Fietzke took over and rode on until the final climb. They did a fantastic job, and Lorenzo finished it off. This is a truly special victory, not only for him but also for us as a team, and I’m incredibly proud of the entire squad, ” said the Basque sports director.

For Finn, the Tour de l'Avenir was his final race in the U23 category. Just like Seixas did last year, he is making the immediate transition to the pros. The Italian is set to compete in both the World Championships in Montreal and the European Championships in Slovenia against Pogacar, Seixas, Evenepoel, and others. Leading up to those events, he has several Italian preparatory races on his schedule.

The 19-year-old rider is under contract with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe through 2028. Incidentally, he has already competed in several races with the WorldTour team this season: in July, he won the Sibiu Tour; in January, he joined Evenepoel in the team time trial on Mallorca; and he withdrew from the Tour of the Alps.