“Everyone says he should ride the Tour de France... I’m not convinced” – Bernard Hinault warns Paul Seixas over trying three-week fight with Tadej Pogacar too early

With Paul Seixas continuing his rapid rise, the debate around a potential Tour de France debut has intensified, particularly in the build-up to Liège-Bastogne-Liège where he is once again set to face Tadej Pogacar.

For Bernard Hinault, however, the question is not about ability, but timing. Speaking in comments collected by Cyclism’Actu, the five-time Tour de France winner made clear he is not convinced that stepping into a three-week battle at this stage is the right move.

Rather than rushing into the sport’s biggest race, Hinault believes Seixas would benefit from testing himself elsewhere first. “Everyone says he should ride the Tour… I’m not convinced. If I were in his position, I would go and test myself in other races: at the Giro d’Italia, I would find myself up against Vingegaard and that would give me an idea of my ability to last twenty-three days of racing.”

That focus on duration is central to his argument. “Because the only doubt we can have is about those twenty-three days.”

Seixas has already shown across this spring, including his performances against Pogacar and his breakthrough at Flèche Wallonne, that he can match the very best over shorter efforts. The uncertainty, in Hinault’s eyes, lies in whether that level can be sustained across a full Grand Tour.

That challenge becomes even sharper when viewed through the lens of a Tour de France likely to be shaped by Pogacar. “And then to find yourself up against Pogacar for twenty-three days… he won’t give anything away. When you know his ability and his desire to win, and especially this year, with the aim of equalling the record of five Tours, you have to be careful.”

It is a warning grounded in context. Pogacar has already defined the 2026 season across multiple terrains and arrives at Liège as the clear benchmark once again.

For Seixas, Sunday offers another opportunity to measure himself against that level in a one-day setting. The Tour, as Hinault frames it, is an entirely different test.

Despite his caution, Hinault also pointed to a mindset that could ultimately allow Seixas to reach that level.

Reflecting on his own approach when facing Eddy Merckx, he sees similarities in the young Frenchman. “When I arrived at the start, I told myself: ‘He is like me. He is made of the same material, he has two legs, two arms, a head, and he uses them. I will do the same as him.’ And I think Paul has a bit of that. He does not say to himself: ‘The other one is stronger than me.’ He wants to fight him, and he will do it.”

That mentality has already been visible throughout the spring, where Seixas has not hesitated to take on the sport’s biggest names.

For now, the focus remains on Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where Seixas will again go head-to-head with Pogacar and the sport’s leading names in a one-day Monument setting. It is the kind of environment where he has already proven he belongs.

The Tour de France, as Hinault makes clear, is not about belonging. It is about sustaining that level for three weeks against the most complete rider in the sport. And in his view, that step may come too soon.