Paul Seixas is going to be the youngest rider at the 2026 Tour de France and one of the many debutants. The Frenchman has talked extensively about his debut within two months, his mentality and training change ahead of it; and the comparison with Tadej Pogacar.
It was something that had been strongly hinted at for several months, however only this past Monday was it announced officially that the 19-year old would set his sights on the upcoming Grand Boucle. With Olav Kooij's continuous health struggles, he may end up having sole leadership in the team.
“For my grandfather, it is something exceptional. He has watched the Tour for a very long time, and so have I since I was little. It is a childhood dream coming true, and I am very happy to be able to share that with my family," Seixas said on the Super Moscato Show.
The decision had been made before Monday though, it can be confirmed through his words: “There were not many people who knew. My grandfather and my grandmother did not know. There were my parents, my brother and the team management. That was it, six or seven people, not more.”
A journey of discovery for Paul Seixas
One one-day races Seixas has shown his prowess, and in one-week races he has done the same this spring. Recently in April he won the Itzulia Basque Country and La Flèche Wallonne whilst finishing second to Pogacar at Liège-Bastogne-Liège - where he followed Pogacar's initial attack on La Redoute.
The logical next step is to test himself in a Grand Tour. “I think I always wanted to do the Tour this year. There were a lot of things in competition with the Giro and the Vuelta, but it was quickly refocused on the Tour. It really mattered to me to do a two or three week race this year.”
The French nationality and the French team meant that it was inevitable to race at the Tour, even if his ambitions would only revolve around hunting stage wins and possibly the KOM classification. But he aims to see where he stands amongst the great GC contenders.
“Yes, of course, I am going there for the general classification, I do not want to lose time in the first week to go for stages. I really want to ride for the general classification," he assures. "That is where I will gain a lot of experience.”
“The first week will be something I know, even if it will be different at the Tour because of everything around it. The riders are extremely motivated. Everyone is at their peak. After that, the last two weeks will be unknown for me. There will be a part of discovery, but I hope to be up there.”
Seixas does not compare himself to Tadej Pogacar
The demands of a Tour de France are above those of any race he's done so far this year, starting with the long climbs. This year's route specially features its queen stage on the 20th day, with over 5000 meters of climbing leading up to the Alpe d'Huez. This will require a different preparation to what he's done earlier this spring.
“When you look at my objectives, I worked more on shorter efforts, around four or five minutes. Now it will be different preparation, more around threshold. On longer efforts, I hope to be even better. Durability, repeating efforts and handling the days will make a big difference.”
Durability is where Pogacar has an edge on Seixas, clearly displayed at Liège where Seixas could follow his first attack, but cracked completely on the second. It is perhaps the attribute that has become the most crucial in pro cycling over the past few years.
“The facts speak for him. He has won almost everything at the start of the season and he has won the Tour four times," Seixas said of Pogacar. "For now, I cannot even imagine a comparison. But of course, I will fight to be the best I can and try to tease him a little, even if only at the start of the Tour.”
But at the same time, he does not want to limit himself: “Nothing is impossible, but you still have to be measured in your ambitions. At the Tour, it will be different. You have to manage your efforts well. I will be more measured, calculate more, knowing that there are three weeks ahead and that I have never done it before.”
At the Tour Auvergne - Rhône Alpes, only Isaac del Toro is scheduled to race. Seixas is going into the Tour without recent competition against any of his other podium contention rivals. Finishing on the Top3 would already be a major success for the Frenchman, he confirms.
“If I had to choose, finishing on the podium would give me the most satisfaction. But if there is one of the three, a podium, a big stage win or wearing yellow, I think the Tour would be successful. In any case, there is no failure. It is a discovery," he concluded.
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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- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
- Exactly, you hit the nail on te head.... Ayuso sucks. 3 to 4 years ago some cycling experts were comparing Ayuso as the "new Pogi"... but he's not even close to him... either physically or mentally. Capish you naive schoolboy?PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- I think they expected more from riders like Carlos Rodriguez, Vauquelin and Magnus Sheffield. Imo they should have focused on signing Primoz Roglic, at least they´d probably have had a guaranteed podium GT finisher (he still might sign for them). Now they have 2nd or third tier riders in the classics (Ben Turner, Arensman, Beloki and hopefully Onley can step up again even more). Sheffield, August, Bernal, Tarling and Geoghan Hart did not live up to the star expectations eventually..Jonatan11-11-2026
- Fuuuuuuck, Ciccone and Pidcock on the same team, attacking like crazy and taking it to the other competitors? Yes, please.Occam11-11-2026
- Oh Cameron, this win has been a long time coming! We could not be more proud. All I’ll say is: roll on Glasgow 🔥anonymouscyclist11-11-2026
- Ayuso is another guy riding for GC but won't be able to consistently do it. Almost all of these guys, Skjelmose included, would be better off targeting shorter stage races or one-day races rather than shooting for a GT top-five.Occam11-11-2026
- Awesome. Because you didn't like him, he sucks. Good Lord, you're tendentious. And you write like a 15 yo locked in his room after school.Occam11-11-2026
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