"Let him enjoy it. Otherwise..." - Tiesj Benoot looking to protect Paul Seixas off the bike and at the Tour de France

The Tour de France draws near and the home crowd is eager to back up Paul Seixas this summer, the first rider in years to put the nation back into hopes of being on the final podium - and who knows, perhaps even more. But the pressure can be overwhelming, and Seixas' teammate Tiesj Benoot warns against this, for the sake of Seixas' own career.

Benoot signed with Decathlon CMA CGM Team this year and he comes from Visma, where he witnessed the growth of Jonas Vingegaard into a Grand Tour winner first-hand. Part of his move to the French team can also be of benefit for Seixas due to the Belgian's experience, and years spent alongside one of Seixas' main rivals.

“When I joined Visma in 2022, Jonas had not won the Tour yet, but he had already finished second. He had a much clearer idea of where he stood. With Paul, everything is still one big question mark," Benoot shared in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. ´

That is mostly because of his age. Only 19 years old, Seixas' meteoric rise in the sport is almost unprecedented and no-one knows where his limit lies. Specially because he has never ridden a Grand Tour before, and so his rivals won't know how his form will evolve throughout the three weeks - making him a dangerous and unpredictable rival.

“What that kid can do is remarkable. I do not compare myself with a rider like Paul in training, just as I never did with Jonas. Those guys have so much more talent and are different types of riders," he explains. "It would be stupid to measure myself against them. It would have the opposite effect.”

Benoot only made his season debut this week at the Tour de Suisse after requiring a months-long recovery from a hernia, but has impressed with his form right from the start. His versatility and experience makes him a very valuable figure for the French team, and someone who from the start of the year was always lined up to race the Tour de France, despite the adversity.

But he knows that the team will be surrounded with an unconditional pressure. He wants this to not go into extremes, in order to not affect his teammate's career. “I believe he can finish in the top five, or even on the podium, but it has to be without pressure. Let him enjoy it. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him to have a long career.”

It will be an interesting Tour de France, with Seixas' form also being a relative question mark after he crashed out of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. “He is a special rider and nobody knows where his limits are,” he said. “He does not know either. That is the beauty of it.”

The comparisons between Tadej Pogacar and Seixas are also unfounded, according to Benoot. “I think people in France sometimes forget that Pogacar simply rode away from Paul at Liège-Bastogne-Liège".

“It is hugely encouraging that a 19-year-old can follow Pogacar on La Redoute, but he is absolutely not a top favourite for the Tour," he concluded.