France has been longing for a successor to Bernard Hinault for forty years, who in 1985 was the last Frenchman to win the Tour de France, but with Paul Seixas, the country may have a potential Tour winner in its ranks. Decathlon CMA CGM wants to take him to the Tour next year, but Seixas himself still preaches patience.
Decathlon CMA CGM—the employer of the only 19-year-old Seixas—is cautiously handling its new rising star, but team boss Dominique Serieys already dared to look ahead in an interview with RMC Sport. "I would like him to race the Tour de France next year. If you don’t do that, you don’t gain experience," Serieys believes.
"Paul still needs time to develop, so we will of course protect him. But by taking part in the Tour, he could certainly make progress as a person, but also in volume, endurance, and technique. When I talk to him, he wants to learn as much as possible and surprise himself."
Seixas (right) took bronze at the recent European Championships in his home country – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
Dream versus reality
Wonderkid Seixas is less impulsive and especially doesn’t want to skip steps in his development process. "The Tour de France is my biggest dream. It is also the most important race for me, but you have to distinguish between dreams and reality," he points out in an interview with L'Équipe. "And the reality is that you have to keep both feet on the ground."
"When you put together a calendar, it must be a sensible and coherent race schedule. That’s why we haven’t decided yet about a potential Tour participation in 2026. We are considering a Grand Tour, but I don’t know yet which one I will contest."
