“I don’t have words... I’m speechless” – Paul Seixas leaves team boss stunned after ‘insane’ breakthrough

There are moments in a rider’s rise where performance alone no longer explains the reaction around them. That is where Paul Seixas now finds himself.

His victory at Itzulia Basque Country did more than add a WorldTour stage race to his palmares. It shifted expectations inside his own team, forcing even those closest to him to reassess what might be possible next.

Speaking on The Cycling Show, Decathlon CMA CGM sporting director Heinrich Haussler struggled to put that shift into words. “I don’t have words. I can’t describe it. Like now, I’m speechless.”

Seixas’ breakthrough has not been built on a single result. It has come through a sequence of performances that have steadily raised the ceiling. A first professional win at the Volta ao Algarve confirmed his ability to finish at the highest level. A second place at Strade Bianche behind Tadej Pogacar showed he could compete directly with the sport’s defining rider. Then came Itzulia, where he won three stages and the overall title, dominating across different terrains rather than relying on one specific strength.

For Haussler, the significance lies not only in what Seixas is doing, but how he is doing it. “His mental approach, the way he rides, the way he follows the peloton, the moves in the final, for a 19-year-old, I’m completely blown away with his talent.”

That description points to something more complete than raw ability. It suggests a rider already capable of reading races and executing under pressure, rather than simply reacting to them.

The impact has not been limited to results sheets. Within Decathlon CMA CGM Team, Seixas’ emergence is already altering the mindset of the group around him. “This pushes the level from the whole team, because if you have a rider like that and you go to the start line, everyone knows, not just the riders but also the staff, okay we’re here to win.”

That shift is significant given the context the team operates in. In a peloton increasingly defined by super teams with vast resources, smaller structures are often forced into reactive roles. A rider capable of changing that dynamic, even temporarily, becomes a central figure very quickly.

Seixas has already been labelled one of the most exciting prospects in cycling, but the language around him is beginning to move beyond that. “He is the next big talent.”

The statement is simple, but it reflects a growing consensus. Results, consistency and versatility have combined to place him in a different category to most riders at a similar stage of their career. There is still caution in how his future is framed. “I’m really curious to see what he’s capable of in the next years.”

That uncertainty is inevitable. Development is rarely linear, and expectations can shift as quickly as they rise. But for now, the direction of travel is clear. Seixas is no longer being discussed as a rider for the future alone. His performances have already forced a recalibration of what can be expected in the present.

And when even those working with him every day are left searching for words, it suggests that the scale of that progression may still be unfolding.