Teenage cycling sensation Paul Seixas is set to make his Tour de France debut this July, his team Decathlon CMA CGM confirmed on Monday. The 19-year-old from Lyon has been tipped as the successor to Bernard Hinault, the last French winner of the Tour, after a series of stunning performances in his first full professional season.
Rising Star
Seixas has already made waves in the cycling world, winning the Itzulia Basque Country stage race in April and La Flèche Wallonne. He also finished second behind Tadej Pogacar at Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. His Basque Country triumph saw him claim all four jerseys and win three stages, making him the first Frenchman to win a WorldTour-level stage race since Christophe Moreau in 2007.
Speculation had been rife for months over whether the teenager would line up in Barcelona this summer or be shielded from the intense pressure and physical demands of the Tour. His team had indicated his summer programme would be reassessed after the Ardennes Classics, but his exceptional results made a Tour start increasingly likely.
Announcement and Ambitions
Decathlon released a video of Seixas sharing the news with his grandparents, captioned: “J’ai quelque chose à vous annoncer… I have something to tell you.” The teenager has previously stated his biggest dream is to win the Tour de France. The race begins in Barcelona on 4 July and concludes in Paris on 26 July.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar enters as the undisputed favourite after another stellar spring campaign, with main rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel expected to challenge. Seixas’s strong start to the season gives Decathlon hope for a podium finish and stage wins, while his participation will boost publicity for the French-based team.
