"Shouldn't you then say: we stop now, we are going to the hospital" - Decathlon's management of Paul Seixas after Auvergne crash raises questions

The 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has shown a lot regarding the contenders for the upcoming Tour de France contenders, but has also left unanswered questions such as Paul Seixas' current form in the high mountains. This won't be clear until the Tour, but questions were raised on Decathlon CMA CGM Team's handling of the situation in Auvergne.

With the main GC men staying conservative on stage 1, the first long climbing effort where the GC men would go to the max would be the ascent to the Grand Colombier on the penultimate stage. Beforehand, the team time trial and the climb to Crest-Voland have provided important conclusions, but the latter was still a rather short effort.

"We actually don't know anything at all right now. Of course, we know he was doing well, but did we see a real battle? Not really. And he didn't make very big differences in that first mountain stage either," former pro Bobbie Traksel said on the Kop over Kop podcast.

It was in the final weekend that the main expectations laid, but after Paul Seixas crashed on stage 7, Isaac del Toro proved to be the superior climber and took the overall win after two strong stage wins. Luke Tuckwell and Juan Ayuso filled out the two remaining positions on the podium.

The Dutchman believes that everyone started the race looking at the Frenchman and that they saw him as the man to beat, even in a seasoned peloton. "They all thought: Paul Seixas is the big man. But that isn't entirely true. At 19, that boy surely still needs to work on his status."

Experience and dealing with the inevitable setbacks is also important. Seixas crashed at high-speed during a descent and although he did not suffer fractures, he had extensive abrasions and difficulties holding onto the handlebars from there on out.

Traksel believes that the youngster should've been pulled out of the race at that moment. "He is a rider who could potentially achieve a Tour podium for them, but is also still very young. Shouldn't you then say: we stop now, we are going to the hospital, we are going to check everything, this is simply the situation, end of story."

Seixas remained in the race, recovered a four-minute deficit to the peloton and remained in GC contention. However the next day, he would withdraw from the race shortly after starting out, struggling with his injuries.

This could've been a mistake, thinking about the short-term goal instead of the Tour de France. "I think they thought: we're not going to win the Tour, but if we can win the Dauphiné, then we've got that in the bag and we can start the Tour more relaxed," Traksel concluded.