"I gradually catch up to their level": Rising French talent hopes to one day compare to Paul Seixas and Lenny Martinez

French cycling have a very exciting group of young riders beginning to make a name for themselves in the professional peloton. Of course the main attention is on the outstanding talens Paul Seixas, Lenny Martinez and Romain Grégoire, but Tudor Pro Cycling's Mathys Rondel is not to be underestimated. The 22-year-old may have been growing slightly overshadowed by the success of his peers, but heading into 2026, he'll be a name to watch from the ranks of the strongest ProTeam.

Rondel started the season strongly with a top-5 at Giro d'Abruzzo before he went on to secure an even more impressive top-10 at the Tour de Romandie where surpassed a number of seasoned WorldTour GC contenders, including the future 4th spot at the Tour, Oscar Onley. Moving forward to summer, the period was slightly let down in the eyes of Rondel with a top-15 at star-filled Critérium du Dauphiné.

"I had two very good blocks of consistent performance, and being able to race at that level while learning with different groups, was great," he opened an interview with Cyclism'Actu.

The final push of the season was also very good for Rondel. His 4th place overall at Tour de Luxembourg stands out both due to the strong competition despite being "just" a 2.Pro race, and also a showcase of Rondel's all-round talent, not just pure long-climbing. Finally, Rondel also stood on a podium in October at the first edition of Trofeo Tessile & Moda (1.1), before successful conclusion of a great year with another 4th place at Japan Cup.

Tudor rode two Grand Tours in 2025, but Rondel was not selected for either the Giro d'Italia, nor the Tour de France in summer. "The Giro was too soon," Rondel explains the decision to postpone his Grand Tour debut last year. "We could have done a Vuelta, for example, but we weren't participating, so it made sense that I didn't do it."

However the situation is different in 2026. As Tudor attempts a calendar that could well be compared to that of a WorldTour, including all three Grand Tours, the participation in at least one from rider of Rondel's qualities is more than desired. "This year, in 2026, I'll do a Grand Tour. We took our time, put together a good high-level race calendar, discovered quite a few races, so it was fine this way. It will be the Giro d'Italia."

"The goal is to be in top form there. Before that, there's Paris-Nice a few months prior. So those will be my two main objectives: to perform well at the Giro, but also to manage the entire preparation well, from December until the altitude training camp and the Giro itself. And afterwards, to recover well to have a strong end to the season."

With his strong climbing profile, it's only natural Rondel would like to develop into a GC rider for Grand Tours. So doing more than one in a season is an option to the young Frenchman: "I don't want to limit myself to just one Grand Tour a year; you have to perform well before and after, once the main objective is achieved."

Looking at Rondel's 2025 palmares then, it's not a surprise he's more often than not included in the topic of the future French prospects, even though he wasn't under scrutiny like his compatriots since his junior days. "I arrived a little later than them, so there was always a slight gap. It was bigger 3, 4, 5 years ago, and now I'm gradually closing it. That's why people are talking about me more now."

"Lenny Martinez is always a bit ahead, so he attracts more attention. Now, Paul Seixas is also getting a lot of attention. But if I win a race, I'll be in the spotlight," Rondel is confident. "I'm not worried. The thing is, these riders have always been a little bit ahead of me, so they get more attention. As I improve, I catch up to their level, and then people start talking about me more."