Paul Seixas contract saga reaching climax - Decathlon lay down offer as Visma interest lingers as rider considers contract
Cycling
Paul Seixas's long term future could be decided in the coming days as the French rider's contract and transfer saga reaches a climax. Turning 20 last week, the Decathlon CMA CGM rider is one of cycling's hottest properties after finishing 4th place in the Tour de France as a teenager and winning several major races in a stellar 2026 season.
Daniel Benson reports that Decathlon have recently tabled their contract offer and vision for the 20-year-old sensation in the hopes of sealing their leader's long-term loyalty to the French team.
Meanwhile, the reporter also states that Visma | Lease a Bike - long term admirers of the Tour de France fourth place finisher - are lingering with interest. Elsewhere, it appears UAE Team Emirates - XRG's interest in a transfer has wained despite strong initial speculation around the Emirati squad's plans for Seixas.
Seixas's current deal doesn't expire this winter, but carries him through to the end of the 2027 season. However, his meteoric rise has resulted in added urgency to secure his services for the future as several WorldTour teams, as well as ProTeam Pinarello Q36.5 earlier in the summer.
Paul Seixas
Decathlon make changes before Seixas offer
His future and its speculation has seen Decathlon register a new paternal company in Switzerland, aiming to reduce expenses related to the higher level of social security contributions that are associated with French contracts. Something that weighs on heavily on all French teams.
The move is thought to afford the team greater ability to entice Seixas with a larger contract than they could afford before, levelling the playing field when it comes to interest from other teams.
Speaking during the Tour de France, team boss Dominique Serieys claimed Seixas should back their team as the perfect place for him to both develop and win the Tour.
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“The conviction Paul needs to have"
He said: “We have identified the components we need and how the team has to evolve. Today, a team is built with a lot of support riders, and not only for the Tour de France.”
“The conviction Paul needs to have, and that we already have, is that he will win with us. He has already won races. We will continue to strengthen so that we can be better than the others.”
While a long-term contract offers security for both parties, Serieys stressed that even such a deal would still cover just the early part of his career given his young age.
He added: “People need to remember that Paul is 19. Whatever the length of the renewal, whether it is three years or five, he will only be 23 or 24 at the end of it.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- An exact repeat of Vollering last year!
Rafionain-Glas02-10-2026 - Gautherat is such a nice pickup and his age. UAE never miss their the best in history by a mile and just continue to dominate year after year winning UCI yearly. Gonne keep dominating i assume their just so insanely good at picking young riders, developing them and they also have most money and never miss on buys. Dominating along time already and will for another long time i assume.miguel02-10-2026
- No he woudn't... Pogi loves us, we are his compatriots... capish?PogiSloFans02-10-2026
- UAE should also buy out Seixas from Decathlon, as Pogi's domestique, for 5 million euros per year. That would be a real eruption...a sudden, powerful release of emotion from the French :))PogiSloFans02-10-2026
- RE would love to win there so he can give Pog a mental slap on home turf and he's not riding too !
leedorney02-10-2026 - It would be sooo romantic for Vollering to lead out the Dutch team for one of her team mates to take the win - if they’re able to take the win, of course. Either way, I hope this race is as exciting as the women WC’s!anonymouscyclist02-10-2026
- Male rider, right? This article drawers similarities to when Andy Murray corrected a reporter during a Wimbledon post-match press conference, in 2017, after being told that Sam Querrey was the first U.S. player to reach a major semi-final since 2009. Let’s make sure we clarify this is a male record, because this ‘rarely-seen statistic’ was not seen for first time in 27 years, but… in 1 year. Magdeleine Vallieres, 2025, WC first win of her season.anonymouscyclist02-10-2026
- I think non of us believe it. Issue is that the world champs jersey will be seen as bottle carrier and i cannot see mcnulty leading as classic races or even winning stages. It will not show world champs jersey in a good light alas.paultryan200202-10-2026
- Where does it say that? That is your biased opinion which just goes to show how biased our general education towards such subjects is. Instead of commenting on the inaccuracies of the comment, why don’t you question the oversight, lack of detail or precision of the article? Why is women’s sport almost always systematically ignored in a non gendered article on sport?Jumpyjohn02-10-2026
- Assuming at some point (unlike the Horners and Gianettis who had their peaks after they should have retired) TP will tire out, it will be very interesting to see how UAE evolve. A demise like Sky maybe?Jumpyjohn02-10-2026
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