“It’s very tough, and that’s exactly what I like about it”: Paul Seixas seizes the white jersey and eyes the Tour de France podium

Paul Seixas continues to exceed expectations in his first Tour de France. The 19-year-old French sensation delivered another outstanding ride on stage 14, climbing to fourth overall and taking over the white jersey after finishing third behind Tadej Pogacar and Isaac del Toro. Seixas is now just 15 seconds away from a podium place and growing in confidence as the race heads deeper into the mountains.

Right before the start of the last climb of the day, Decathlon CMA CGM Team teammates Tiesj Benoot and Nicolas Prodhomme set a hard tempo in the peloton, reducing Tadej Pogacar's support to only Isaac del Toro before the decisive attacks began.

Even if he could not respond when Pogacar launched his race-winning move 1.5 kilometers from the summit, the French youngster joined forces with Jonas Vingegaard and Del Toro, eventually taking third place on the stage, 38 seconds behind Pogacar. The result moved him into fourth overall, 5:19 behind the race leader but only 15 seconds away from the final podium spot.

“Honestly, it’s incredibly tough, let’s put it that way,” Seixas told France Télévision after the podium ceremony. “Today’s been another really tough day, but I’m starting to get used to it on the Tour. It’s very tough, and that’s exactly what I like about it.”

“I’ve trained hard for this. The whole team has worked hard for this, and today they’ve done a brilliant job; they’ve looked after me really well over the last two weeks, so it’s a real pleasure to have this white jersey and still be in the running for a podium place.”

The performance also earned Seixas the white jersey as the Tour's best young rider after moving ahead of Juan Ayuso. However, the Frenchman made it clear that his primary focus is the overall classification.

“I’d say my position in the general classification is more important. But still, it’s nice to have it. It’s nice to have a jersey and I’m happy to be here.”

His display in the Vosges has only increased his confidence heading into the decisive third week. “Yes, obviously it gives me even more confidence for what’s to come. After all, the Tour is still long, the hardest part is yet to come, so I’m staying pragmatic. There’s already plenty to do tomorrow.”

Stage 15 ends atop the brutal Plateau de Solaison, a climb Seixas already knows well thanks to family connections in the region. “It’s not far from my grandparents’ house,” Seixas said. “I’ve been there several times anyway. I know the climb well. It’s really very tough. I don’t think there’s a much tougher climb. But anyway, tomorrow is going to be a great stage, and I hope we’ll finish this week on a high.”

Before this Tour de France, Seixas had never raced for more than eight consecutive days, making his consistency across two demanding weeks even more remarkable. The young Frenchman credits much of that consistency to careful preparation and recovery.

“I think it’s important to recover properly, that’s the most important thing,” he explained. “We’ve really worked on that with the team. We’ve done some training camps that are actually quite tough, so I do know what the effort involved is like. I’m familiar with it, and I know how to recover. That said, the hardest part is the unknown. Tomorrow is stage 15, so we’ll see how it goes.”