"I don't see who else could be Pogacar's successor" - Oliver Naesen on his teammate Paul Seixas, UAE and Strade Bianche watts

Oliver Naesen is part of Decathlon CMA CGM Team and at the time being, the team is in the center of the spotlight in cycling. That is because of Paul Seixas, the sport's new star, who is already being actively pursued by UAE Team Emirates - XRG, who could have Seixas join Tadej Pogacar.

"UAE will probably want him. No team would be opposed to Paul's transfer. Fortunately, he has a contract with us for next year. It will be up to the sponsors to do everything they can to keep him with us, but that will be a major challenge," Naesen said in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, there is a break is negotiations at the time being as the team navigates the spring campaign, where his results have been so far above all expectations.

The second place at Strade Bianche this Saturday was the first true battle between him and the World Champion, and at 19 years of age with a lot of room for improvement, it seems as if it is possible for the not-so-large gap to be closed at some point. Naesen hopes this happens with the French team.

"I really hope he stays. That we can dream. Imagine if he wins the Tour de France with a French team... That's mind-boggling. Imagine if it's with UAE... I have nothing against that team, but it will feel more sterile," he argues.

Seixas was already part of the team in 2025 and the two have gotten to know each other. The veteran describes Seixas: "A typical young guy. Still a kid in everyday life, but extremely driven when it comes to cycling. It just slides off him; he doesn't really care. But I'd still prefer the hype to be a bit less intense, because I don't know if we're doing him any favors," he believes.

With France lacking a Tour de France winner for decades, and the dominance of Tadej Pogacar at times bringing a monotonous tone to the sport, it is something many argue could be an era changer in cycling. "But yes, there's no denying it: he has a golden future ahead of him. I don't see who else could be Pogacar's successor. Incredible to see up close".

Oliver Naesen did not race Strade Bianche this past weekend but upon talking to those who did, he gets a clear perception of how it played out. "I was sitting next to [Paul] Lapeira at the table. He said he saw Pogacar ride away. And that he was riding at 700 to 750 watts... And they're featherweights too. That's just bizarre," Naesen says.

It was a victory for Pogacar that didn't look contested, however that is because of his own, and his team's improvement over the past few years. "The last fastest edition was last year at 40.7 kilometers, and this year it went to 43 kilometers per hour. That's a huge difference".

"Wout van Aert rode an average of 280 watts over the last two hours in the 2018 Strade Bianche (correction: the stat was regarding his whole race, ed.) —his big breakthrough. And now Pogacar averaged 380 watts... That's just unbelievable." However, Velon did confirm Pogacar averaged 340 watts in the final 80 kilometers of the 2024 and 2025 editions, whilst he now did 380 in 2026.