"He should focus on what Pogacar and Vingegaard are doing": Tour debut will be a steep learning experience for Paul Seixas

No more guessing. No more assumptions. No more uncertainty. Paul Seixas is confirmed to lead Decathlon CMA CGM at the 2026 Tour de France as the "people's champion" who could take down at least one of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar to end their five-year-long dominance at Grande Boucle. And even though it wasn't always part of the plans, Seixas' level in the first half of this season left no room for doubts about whether he belongs at the world's greatest stage.

While opinions differ, Jens Voigt is a supporter of this decision. "He won the Itzulia Basque Country convincingly and finished just behind Pogacar second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Therefore, it makes sense to send him there," Voigt told Eurosport.

The 17-time Tour de France participant also believes Sexias will not hide in the shadows during his Grand Tour debut: "He is so strong and one has to say without a doubt that Paul has the potential to reach the podium at the Tour. He is young and fresh."

However, Voigt cautions that Seixas shouldn't focus on the overall standings, "but rather on what Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard are doing. How do they ride, when do they attack, how do they shape the race, and how do they utilize their teammates? Seixas should learn from this how he can do the same, or perhaps even better."

If the three-week workload proves a bit over the top for the young Frenchman, Voigt believes a change of strategy is no shame. According to the German ex-professional, Seixas is also capable of "winning a stage if he is far enough behind in the overall standings."

In the long term, Seixas is among the favorites to win the Tour de France, the expert has no doubts: "I think he's not quite ready yet to compete at his best against Pogacar and Vingegaard in July. But in two years he'll be on par with them."