“I tried to negotiate, but they put me in the Tour du Limousin” – French prospect Pierre-Henry Basset denied Tour de l’Avenir showcase by Astana
CyclingSaturday, 15 August 2026 at 21:00
Pierre-Henry Basset has revealed that he tried to convince XDS Astana to let him ride the Tour de l’Avenir, only to be assigned to the Tour du Limousin instead. The decision removes the biggest U23 stage-race showcase from the 22-year-old Frenchman's final season at that level, with Basset still without a confirmed team for 2027.
Speaking to DirectVelo, Basset said he learned after July's Tour of Qinghai Lake that l'Avenir would not form part of his programme.
“I found out after the Tour of Qinghai Lake, in July. I tried to negotiate, but they put me in the Tour du Limousin,” he explained.
It means Basset will begin the four-day French professional race on Tuesday, just two days before the 2026 Tour de l'Avenir gets underway in Normandy.
Astana leave Basset out of final U23 Tour de l'Avenir
The decision is particularly notable in 2026 because XDS Astana Development Team are themselves among the 25 teams taking part in the Tour de l'Avenir. The official start list contains six other riders from the Astana development structure, so Basset's absence is not the result of missing selection for a French national team.
This year's race is the first since the Tour de l'Avenir moved away from a format centred almost exclusively on national selections and opened its doors to professional development teams. For Basset, it was also his final opportunity to ride the race as an U23.
The Tour de l'Avenir has long been one of the most visible stages on the development calendar. Tadej Pogacar, Egan Bernal, Isaac del Toro and most recently Paul Seixas are among its recent winners, giving the race a profile that reaches well beyond the audience normally following U23 racing throughout the season.
His only previous appearance came in 2025, but illness prevented him from showing his true level. He abandoned during Stage 5 and subsequent examinations revealed a cytomegalovirus infection, bringing his entire season to an early end and ruling him out of both the World and European Championships.
The 2026 edition had therefore been circled as a chance to return under very different circumstances. Earlier this year Basset named both the Giro Next Gen and Tour de l'Avenir among his principal objectives, with much of his preparation increasingly focused on improving in the mountains.
He nevertheless intends to make the most of that programme. Basset previously rode the Tour du Limousin with CIC U Nantes in 2024 and believes its demanding, constantly undulating racing suits his characteristics.
“I hope I can go well there. I’ve prepared for it,” he said. “I really enjoyed it when I did it before and it suits me. You have to be a real racer, it’s a race where you have to grind it out. It’s also a nice race to do.”
Basset is in the final season of a two-year deal with Astana
No 2027 deal as Basset searches for standout result
Basset is in his fourth and final U23 season and does not currently know where he will race in 2027. When he joined Astana's development structure after an impressive 2024 campaign with CIC U Nantes, the obvious ambition was to continue progressing towards cycling's top level.
Basset won the Grand Prix de Plouay in 2024 after also finishing fifth at both the Tour Alsace and La Polynormande and seventh overall at the Tour de Bretagne. His first season with Astana then brought a stage victory and overall success at the 2025 Tour of Rhodes, while he finished 13th overall at the Giro Next Gen.
He repeated that 13th place at this year's Giro Next Gen, finishing inside the top 25 on five stages. The consistency has not yet been accompanied by the major 2026 result he believes he needs. “I know I’m not going to win 20 races a year,” he admitted. “I’m there, I’m involved in the racing, but I’m missing one big standout result.”
Basset has increasingly organised altitude camps as he attempts to improve his climbing and stage-racing ability, but accepts that the investment has yet to produce the reward he wants. “I’m putting everything in place to succeed. For example, I organise altitude training camps for myself, and for the moment it’s not really paying off.”
With the U23 chapter of his career almost over, he does not want to remain indefinitely inside development structures. “Development teams are nice, but I’m not going to spend 15 years at that level,” Basset said. “I’ve got good experience. I want to see how far I can go, push the limits, get into a good team to help the leaders and, why not, have my own chances in a few races.”
Worlds and Europeans still in play
Basset was the oldest of nine riders invited to a recent French U23 altitude camp in Tignes and hopes to earn selection for either the World Championships in Quebec or the European Championships in Slovenia.
He does not expect protected leadership status if that opportunity arrives, instead envisaging an aggressive supporting role in which he can show himself before working for France's principal contenders later in the race.
“I hope to have a good end to the season so I can find a team. That will come through results,” he said. “The situation is difficult. We were saying that last year and it’s even more difficult this year. It’s not easy.”
Before either championship selection is decided, Basset's next opportunity to change his 2027 prospects will come at the Tour du Limousin rather than the Tour de l'Avenir he had spent much of the season targeting.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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