French expectations have weighed heavily on the shoulders of their countrymen over the years, the honour of being the ‘next French Tour winner’ bestowed onto many a rider who could’ve been celebrated for who they were rather than who France wanted them to be.
A Frenchman has not won the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985. A chasm of time stands between then and now. Riders have been born, had full careers bearing the weight of a nation, and retired since the Badger’s final win. At least Pauline Ferrand-Prévot got the job done at the Tour de France Femmes last year to keep the people somewhat satisfied.
The emergence of Paul Seixas has piqued interest in cycling fans all over the world. Despite his young age, Decathlon-CMA CGM’s Lyonnaise prospect has commanded much deserved attention for his rapidly increasing talents. A once in a generation rider he just might be.
Seixas came up through the squad’s development team and quickly made a name for himself on the junior scene. In 2024, he won the junior Liège-Bastogne-Liège race and became both National and World Time-Trial Champion at the youth level too. It would’ve been normal if, given his status as the youngest man on the WorldTour, Seixas had kept quiet in 2025 and used the time to follow wheels, gain experience and get kilometres in his legs. But instead of shirking the limelight, he embraced it.
At just 18 years old, he ran circles around longtime professionals with three podium finishes on stages of the Tour of the Alps, eighth place overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné – a result most seasoned riders would dream of – and victory at the U23 Tour de l’Avenir. The latter brings quite the hype given its status as ‘the race of the future’, pitting cycling’s hottest prospects against one another in a glimpse of Tours to come, and Seixas joined a winners’ club that includes Egan Bernal, Tadej Pogačar and Isaac del Toro.
He has already proven that last year was far from a fluke. In just three races this year he’s shown that he’s taken an enormous step in his development. He kicked things off with a hugely impressive queen stage win and second overall at the Volta ao Algarve in a field of Grand Tour contenders behind only Lidl-Trek’s Juan Ayuso. He then did his own Pogačar impression at the Faun-Ardèche Classic, going solo from 42km to go, trouncing a strong field in some style.
His first tilt at the Spring Classics is going well too – to say the least. On his debut at Strade Bianche he was – albeit briefly – the only man to follow the inevitable attack put forward by Pogačar, and unlike most who tried before him it didn’t send him into the red in the process. The Slovenian romped to the victory, but it was Seixas who prevailed over his passenger and UAE’s potential next Pogačar Isaac del Toro, dropping him on the steep slopes of the Via Santa Caterina to secure second place, only a minute behind. That’s practically a win in itself.
Seixas will race next at Itzulia Basque Country, where he will race against the likes of Del Toro and Ayuso (injury permitting) again. In an interview with L’Équipe, it was revealed the circling of Itzulia in his calendar is due to the time-trial on offer, with Seixas adding ‘a time-trial is a situation I need’ in regards to general classification aspirations.
Aside from the National and World Championships, Seixas hit the start line of four time-trials last season and won the two on offer at the Tour de l’Avenir. It’s a discipline that feels something of a rare opportunity outside of Grand Tours these days, which is why it’s important to get your practice in when they pop up, and Seixas finished fourth in his first TT of the season at the Volta ao Algarve and beat some big names in the process UAE’s Giro and Vuelta leader João Almeida. This is a key factor in what separates Seixas from his French forebears, who were often held back by their struggles in the discipline.
After Itzulia Seixas will return to the Classics for the Ardennes, with La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on his schedule for the first time. With no Pogačar at Flèche, he has a real chance of taking a statement win before the UAE man looks to defend his Liège crown. After a strong seventh place in his first Monument at Il Lombardia last year and third on a Classics parcours at the European Championships behind only Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, he’s clearly suited to these races. Give him hills and watch him go.
As for what follows, the future is up in air. Both for his potential Tour de France debut and the team in which he will call home as his career progresses.
The Tour is currently seen as a probability rather than a possibility for Seixas. Last year, Decathlon were blessed by the climbing ability of Felix Gall, who finished sixth, and with the Austrian targeting the Giro and the Vuelta this season – and new sprinter Olav Kooij yet to start his season – there appears to be a spot ready to be filled.
‘Of course, people would like me to ride the Tour,’ Seixas told L’Équipe, ‘and I understand that, because I am French. But I focus more on what I want to do, on what is best for my development above all.’
Allowing a rider the freedom to develop without immediately rushing them seems like the most obvious choice. However Decathlon are not putting all their eggs in Seixas’s basket, having invested hugely in their roster over the winter ensuring their depth covers sprints, stage-hunting, one-day races and GC, so the only expectation is from outside noise. And with the way he’s riding so far in 2026, he seems ready to take any challenge in his stride.
There’s a charm in the concept of a French rider winning the Tour de France with a French team. Everything is in its rightful place. If Seixas stays with Decathlon-CMA CGM after his current contract ends in 2027, having risen through their development team, it could be quite the special relationship for a homegrown talent.
The issue is, enter stage left, UAE Team Emirates XRG. The petrostate-backed superteam possess cash to burn and can cherry pick riders to their liking as a result, with domestiques that could lead many WorldTour squads. The latest chatter to set the rumour mill ablaze is an apparent bidding war breaking out for Seixas’s signature involving UAE. But whether he will be a small fish in a stacked pond at UAE or remain in an environnement français is a discussion set to rumble on until a decision is made.
It’s something Decathlon-CMA CGM’s team manager Dominique Serieys knows too. In an interview with Daniel Benson, he said, ‘If Paul doesn’t want to stay, that’s his decision. That’s why I’m confident. But if he has faith in our project, then we’ll continue together.’ The timing for Decathlon to uncover a talent like Seixas could hardly have been better though, with the former AG2R team having a much bigger budget than they did before French retail giant Decathlon came on board, especially with added investment from French shipping company CMA CGM.
Only time will tell whether Seixas makes his Tour debut this season and either remains with Decathlon-CMA CGM. But one thing is certain: a pitfall of success is expectation. Whether his career ends up reflecting Hinault or Pinot, let’s just enjoy Paul Seixas for who he is.