A first podium at a Monument, victories since the beginning of the season but a question still pending: will Paul Seixas be on the Tour de France in July? The decision will be announced – presumably – next week, but several factors point towards the 19-year-old rider’s participation in the Grande Boucle this summer.
Since December, the rider and his Decathlon-CMA CGM team (whose shareholder is also part of the RMC-BFM group) had been deflecting all questions about Paul Seixas’ summer schedule to the post-Ardennes campaign. This Sunday evening, as the sun set gently on the banks of the Meuse, the question resurfaced in various forms in an attempt to gather information, but communication was carefully crafted by the young Lyon native.
His second place behind Tadej Pogacar at the fastest-ever Classic, the victory at La Flèche Wallonne four days later – can these feed into his reflection on the rest of his season? “It feels good, I know I can compete with the best and fight up front, we will take that into account moving forward,” responded Paul Seixas. What’s next? “First some vacation and then we’ll see about the schedule, what plan we can make, next week.” Tadej Pogacar said he expects to see Seixas at the Tour de France this summer? “I will be happy to see him again but we’ll see how it goes!” added the Lyon native, firm in his stance.
However, the first three months of the season, starting with the stage victory at the Tour de l’Algarve up to this successful Ardennes week, have whetted the appetite of the 19-year-old rider and his team. “We have seen a great team effort this week,” savored Decathlon-CMA CGM’s sporting director Julien Jurdie this Sunday. “We can say this is the logical continuation of his season’s start, and we would have been disappointed if he didn’t make it to the podium or win this week, which is crazy to say because he’s only 19 years old! We are really proud of this week both individually and collectively. We will first enjoy, because the week’s results are significant, they shouldn’t be downplayed, Paul will rest and then it will be time to think about what’s next.”
“Team goals adapt to Paul’s results”
For Nicolas Prodhomme, still working hard on the Ardennes roads on Sunday to position Seixas ideally before the crucial Côte de la Redoute, the team progresses as quickly as its young leader. “From week to week, the team’s goals adapt based on Paul’s results, he confirms very strongly each time,” acknowledged the rider who could be part of a close team for Seixas in a Grand Tour. In the Basque Country two weeks ago, he shared his joy in defending his teammate’s yellow jersey. This Sunday in Liège, he shared his experience after this successful April: “We are learning a lot right now. We had a young team in these Ardennes, I have more experience and several Grand Tours under my belt, so I try to draw inspiration from what teams with leader jerseys do: sometimes you have to let big names go and have confidence in the team’s collective strength.”
The trend leans towards Paul Seixas being at the start of the Grande Boucle on July 4th in Barcelona, but Decathlon-CMA CGM’s performance director Jean-Baptiste Quiclet, invited this Sunday on Bartoli Time, wanted to qualify things: “Our only obsession is to ensure that his continuing progression is validated and that we do not take the risk of putting him in difficulty in terms of his career scale. We have a lot of data related to health, training, and physical capacity. Naturally, we are starting to compile interesting things. This data suggests that there is no equivalent to a Tour de France or a Grand Tour. We will discuss with the teams early next week to make the right choices.”
“A preparation that is taking shape”
A program is taking shape nonetheless, in case Paul Seixas participates in the Tour de France this summer: an altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada (Spain) for two weeks, probably the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (new name of the Critérium du Dauphiné) from June 7 to 14, then participation in the French Championships to be defined a week before the Grande Boucle departure. The recent performances of the young Frenchman left Christian Prudhomme salivating this Sunday evening after Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “It’s a race that already projects us a bit towards the month of July,” said the Tour de France director who specified from the start: “In general, don’t be mistaken! It’s exceptional to see a 19-year-old rider able to resist in a cycling Monument. It’s true that he opens a new chapter, his rise is dizzying for French sport, a bit like Léon Marchand at the Paris Olympics, even if he may not necessarily achieve the same results. Paul Seixas is the present, now we will see what decision his team will make. Are the rules, the choices of 20 or 50 years ago still the right ones today, I don’t know… But we see that something is happening around Paul Seixas.”
In his race direction car, the cycling activities director of ASO was able to witness the growing popularity of the Frenchman on the Belgian roads, and in front of the podium in the Ardennes this Sunday evening, the cheers were louder for Seixas than for Remco Evenepoel, who finished third and was unable to keep up with the pace at the foot of the Redoute. Mauro Gianetti, the manager of UAE Emirates-XRG, shared his opinion on RMC radio: “You have to know the rider well, his mentality, his character, and his desire. It’s true that physically, he has shown that he has all the qualities to go to the Tour, we know it won’t be without pressure as a Frenchman on the Tour but also with enthusiasm.” For his star Tadej Pogacar, who expressed his tiredness with the Tour de France last year, the emergence of a rival can give a boost of motivation which is welcomed by his manager: “They resemble each other, they will often be on the same races, there will be some nice cycling ahead of us,” Gianetti rejoiced. The cycling world will find out next week.
[Context: The article discusses the speculation around 19-year-old cyclist Paul Seixas’ potential participation in the upcoming Tour de France and the factors influencing the decision.] [Fact Check: The article accurately portrays the uncertainties and considerations surrounding Paul Seixas’ participation in the Tour de France, referencing statements from team members and other figures in the cycling world.]
