The Itzulia Basque Country is currently being dominated by Paul Seixas and joining him on the podium are Florian Lipowitz and Primoz Roglic. However, the duo's team, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, is reportedly also interested in signing the French supertalent after UAE Team Emirates - XRG and INEOS Grenadiers previously showed the same intentions.
It is a negotiation battle that will dominate the upcoming months. Whilst it was initially said that talks on negotiations would only resume following the Ardennes classics, the topic has in no way slowed down. UAE Team Emirates - XRG is interested in signing the 19-year old who is often compared to Tadej Pogacar, whilst also potentially being his next rival on the road. Seixas' potential is a big question and one that currently marks the world of cycling, as his success at such age is seen as unprecedented. This afternoon, he is expected to win the Basque race, after winning three of the first five stages, and obliterating a high-level field.
Decathlon CMA CGM Team however had a major budget boost over the winter which provides them with a realistic chance of keeping the Frenchman once his contract ends in 2027. Due to being French, in a French team, there is certainly the possibility that there will be a bigger effort from the team's sponsors so as to try and keep the rider who has been widely suggested to be the first French Tour de France winner in over 40 years.
Can Paul Seixas join Remco Evenepoel?
However if having to battle with the UAE-backed team, known for its vast financial resources, it now also has the new giant on the cycling market: Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the interest is real and the team is fully pushing to try and make another contract buyout that could change its outlook.
Whilst the German team does not have the same budget as UAE, Red Bull has invested massive amounts first to buy out the contract of Primoz Roglic from Visma, and last winter Remco Evenepoel from Soudal - Quick-Step. If Seixas' Grand Tour potential is confirmed later this summer, it could be the spark behind a multi-millionaire investment for 'cycling's next big thing'. Last winter, after finishing fourth at the Tour de France, Oscar Onley's contract at Team Picnic PostNL was bought out by INEOS Grenadiers for an amount totaling at several million euros.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
- 'The Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles' ... '[Kieran Wood's] ... 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'. i would say that is pretty inaccurate accurate coverage, kieran wood ... too bad that AI's knowledge often lags several months behind ... but proof reading is certainly part of accurate coverage, isn't it? but fortunately does Kieran Wood place 'strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.' i would say the fifth tdf title is pretty new (and even verified) information, so feel free to update this article.Ketterechts01-11-2026
- You are wrong, they are already working on his new tt position. And yes, Trump does love you 😂👍🏼awp01-11-2026
- The Erola Jons incident was not isolated. She felt she could do that because that's how everyone treats Tadej. Remember when he said "If I say wait 2 mins do you show the middle finger and walk off angry?" about the supposed fan who did exactly that? There's nothing wrong with the nurses and doctors asking him to give autographs... but do the surgery first
Rafionain-Glas01-11-2026 - Perhaps he has what Mark Cavendish had, the Epstein-Barr Virus. It caused him severe and unexplained chronic fatigue. I hope he gets better.
parisbound0001-11-2026 - How can medical staff act like that? pretty disgraceful! the guys down and they're near seeing him off ;/
leedorney01-11-2026 - I think that this is exactly what Jonas needs at this point in his career. It's something that could revive his passion for winning, and he's physically more than capable of winning one of those races as well.
santiagobenites01-11-2026 - What a great race! Couldn't look away. Can't wait for the eurosRafionain-Glas01-11-2026
- I think other competitors also had great Tours, so it wasn't that Ferrand-Prévot necessarily failed in some way - it's more likely that the other top riders lifted their game and maybe also a bit of luck with no crashes, etc. It's the Tour de France after all. It's not meant to be easy to defend your title (the few exceptions like Pogacar prove the rule).Pogboom01-11-2026
- maybe we should put our cv at the end of each comment post ... same rights for all of us!Ketterechts01-11-2026
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