"I'm not saying it can't happen this year" - Jonas Vingegaard knows he might have to face a top Paul Seixas at the Tour de France
Cycling
The Tour de France may grow in competition this year with the addition of Paul Seixas. The Frenchman looks quite likely to be at the Grand Boucle and the quality he has been displaying over recent months has convinced Jonas Vingegaard that he is certain to be up there already in the near future.
Vingegaard is starting off his 2026 season at Paris-Nice, three weeks after his initial plan which consisted of the UAE Tour. He is one of the main favourites, although the route lacks the high mountains where he usually performs best in.
However, it is only the first race in a program that will include the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. As Tadej Pogacar did in 2024, the Dane believes this schedule may bring out the best of him, and explains why.
"Every time I rode the Tour and the Vuelta, I felt stronger in the Vuelta. I hope that by riding the Giro, I can now have that feeling in the Tour. Tadej did it in 2024 as well," Vingegaard said to the microphones of RMC Sport this morning. With both Tour and Vuelta in his palmarès; and modest competition at the Giro, it was a logic step for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader.
"I want to beat the best, and I know I've already beaten him twice," he says on Pogacar, whom he's not giving up on closing the gap. This is, despite the injuries that have plagued his past seasons, most notably the 2024 Itzulia Basque Country crash which has happened almost two years ago. "If people knew the consequences of that crash, they would understand why it took so long to get back into shape."
Vingegaard's advice for Paul Seixas
Asked about Paul Seixas, Vingegaard gave his honest opinion, and doesn't underestimate his fellow climber: "He's absolutely one of the best cyclists around right now. He'll definitely be a serious contender in the future [at the Tour de France], although I'm not saying it can't happen this year."
Seixas' solo win at the Faun-Ardèche Classic, second at Strade Bianche behind Tadej Pogacar and also the climbing-time trialing combination he showed at the Volta ao Algarve is not only an impressive display of form, but the confirmation of a talent whose limits can only be dreamed of.
It does seem as if the 19-year old may really have the ability to live up to the extreme hype that is expected of him by the French fans, who dream of having a Tour de France winner again after 40 years.
However Vingegaard, himself a two-time winner of the race, warns that the pressure is going to be sky-high and maintaining a stable headspace is absolutely key going forward: "He needs to try to stay calm amid all that pressure. Although, as a Frenchman, he'll inevitably face a lot of pressure."
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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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- Mathieu and Wout!!! You must start in CX this winter! (hope you reading comments here...) ;-)averagecyclist12-11-2026
- Who made you site boss?Lozza12-11-2026
- This shows so well you’ve never ventured out to a cycling event and checked out spectators.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- I preferred the one about amateur riders and passing (perhaps to explain why he can’t ride at 220 which would probably be more effective to return to shape).Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Not just ManU, far worse in some minority sports ventures.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- From your writing it sounds like you’ve been sharing your views with people here for quite a while, quite presumouptuous for a new profile.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Which is amazing given his weight and size, though, unlike in boxing and some rare instances we haven’t a clue what his fighting weight was. Anybody know why these “public” figures floated around are considered as being accurate?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- That’s a first point, everyone can have an off year or just stagnate before a new upward cycle. What would have been more interesting is including Skjelmose’s performance into the discussion, things have also been expected from him after several performances in the past but he hasn’t really progressed either, his TdF was basically what you would have expected but he’s 26 and been kind of stuck at this level for at least 2-3 years. Maybe he’s a late developer or maybe he needs something to change but as manager I’d be just as demanding and worried about both. Perhaps the recruitment concept was to have enough talent so at least one every year would be in shape and they’ve just been unlucky. Don’t want to rub it in but you could even say Mads lost a notch, so is it the riders or is it more to do with the team?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was also going to say that young pretty women are obsessed Pogi fan girls... who are chasing him. All glossy "____" (blank) about Tadej. PS: You can all fill in the "blank" yourselves, whatever you prefer. The definition of glossy is: It looks unusually shiny, glazed over, watery, or vacant/unfocused.PogiSloFans12-11-2026
- Are you able to discuss ANYTHING without making a reference back to your Special 1? It’s almost as if you’re paid by his marketing team to improve his ranking in search results.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
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