"He's on a good team" - French president Emmanuel Macron speaks of Paul Seixas and his Tour de France debut
CyclingSaturday, 11 July 2026 at 12:25
The Tour is France's main sporting event and one in which the home nation has now won since 1985 - with Bernard Hinault taking the honours at the time. It is important for the French to regain their place at the top of the sport after many decades and this may happen through Paul Seixas. French president himself Emmanuel Macron has been following the Tour and the 19-year old.
Macron was present on the route this Thursday, as the riders moved through the Pyrenees. On the Col du Tourmalet, the mountain that has been part of the race the most, Macron was present on site and watched as the riders went by.
He would've been particularly focused on two riders who have been performing very strongly thus far in this Grand Boucle, representing the colours of France.
"What they did is magnificent. I believe there are two French riders in the top ten, both were extraordinary. They managed their race very well," he said to RMC Sport, referring to Paul Seixas and Lenny Martínez.
Seixas is, of course, his priority. That is because Seixas is the youngest rider to race the Tour in almost 70 years and has begun the Tour with very high ambitions. The results he obtained this spring were an excellent showcase of what he might be able to do in the future.
It is not the first time Macron speaks of the young super-talent, and in previous months it has been rumoured that he may aid Decathlon CMA CGM Team maintain Seixas onboard. His contract ends at the end of 2027, and at the time being all of the sport's main teams are looking to sign him beyond that season.
"He's on a good team," Macron argued, with Decathlon now carrying the country's main hopes to perform in the Tour over the coming years. With two French title sponsors and a meaningful budget increase this winter, it certainly feels plausible that Seixas renews with his current team.
"We have high hopes I think he can still achieve great things".
Paul Seixas' Tour de France is being followed by president Emmanuel Macron
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The Tour thus far has been dominated by Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates - XRG, who have won every mountainous or hilly stage of the race. Team Visma | Lease a Bike struck an early blow on the Barcelona team time trial, but Jonas Vingegaard's advantage has since disappeared and has been reversed.
With the battle between the 'big two' and Remco Evenepoel's statements regarding his teammate Florian Lipowitz, Paul Seixas has been able to somewhat escape the spotlight. To his advantage, the pressure does not seem to be as high as what some of his direct rivals are experiencing.
Whilst he has not been able to put in the dominant performances that marked the first half of his season - naturally, due to tougher competition - Seixas is entering stage 8 in sixth place when it comes to the overall classification, 3:55 minutes behind Tadej Pogacar but only 28 seconds behind Isaac del Toro who currently closes out the podium.
He does this after recovering from the injuries he suffered in his only race building up to the Tour. "After the Dauphiné (the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, ed.), which had worried us a bit in recent days, he's delivered".
Macron has high hopes for the French flag-bearer, who maintains his ambitions of finishing in the podium very much alive. "I hope he wins one or more stages and maintains this good GC position, and even goes higher."
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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