"The most marketable star in cycling" - Bruyneel and Martin on Seixas' '8 million a year' potential deal; UAE battle and Pogacar-Van Aert Roubaix battle
Cycling
This week only the Brabantse Pijl marked the world of cycling racing-wise, however the less active days provided the opportunity to debrief on the week of Paris-Roubaix; and also Itzulia Basque Country which showcased cycling's new star Paul Seixas, 'the most marketable star' in the sport according to Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin.
"He was already the most popular rider but this has brought him to another level. He's the king of Belgium right now, Wout Van Aert," Bruyneel said on The Move podcast. "I think well-deserved, you know, we were all waiting for this. Again, I think he was very strong. I could say Pogacar was maybe stronger but Van Aert was playing it really smart".
The race saw Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel suffer meaningful mechanicals early on far from the finish. Whilst Van Aert did too, he was able to recover in less time, and ultimately had the legs to attack the group in the Orchies sector and then withstand Pogacar's rhythm throughout the final hour of racing in the 'Hell of the North'.
"I think personally, I still believe that, you know, that Mathieu van der Poel was the strongest rider in the race. But you know, Paris-Roubaix is what it is. And it's put him all of a sudden in a position where you know, when you have two minutes of delay, after the Arenberg Forest, that should be game over... It was game over but he came really close".
In the final kilometers van der Poel managed to latch on to the chasing group, but came up just short of the Pogacar-Van Aert duo which was leading the race already by that time. Van Aert's win provided a breath of fresh air into a monument/World Championships scene that has been dominated by the same three riders over the past years.
"I'm also a Pogacar fan, but I know that somebody who's dominant and then doesn't win, that kind of gets to everybody. Okay, finally somebody beats him. That's also exciting". Spencer Martin was on the other side of the spectrum, hoping for a Pogacar win. Such a victory would not only complete his set of monuments but also open up the path for a likely conquest of all five monuments in one season, something previously never achieved - whilst he was the first rider in history to finish on the podium of all in one season, back in 2025.
"Almost like from a perverted perspective, I was like 'I just wanna see, can Pogacar win every race he starts in 2026?' I want to see how ridiculous can this get? But you're right, it's nice that he didn't win".
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Paul Seixas: Decathlon or UAE?
Over at Izulia Basque Country, the six-stage mountainous race could've seen, under the right circumstances, Paul Seixas - the youngest in the race - take wins everyday. Despite the strong competition, the Frenchman was simply unmatched in the key days of the race.
After the opening time trial, in which he immediately carved a meaningful gap over his rivals, "everybody knew 'okay this is the winner'. On stage two, everybody in the peloton, all his rivals knew: 'We already know who's winning the Basque Country'," Bruyneel states. "No matter what happens in the stages, he was just on another level".
After the Ardennes, negotiations regarding his future will resume, although it can't be argued that they have stopped fully. Not only are Decathlon and UAE in a heated battle for his future contract (his current runs until the end of 2027), but also Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe and INEOS Grenadiers have reportedly gotten involved already.
Wherever he races however, with the talent and potential he is displaying, the cost will be tremendously high. According to the duo who have insight on Seixas' agent and the behind the scenes talk that has been ongoing, the reported value that they are looking at matches Tadej Pogacar's salary: €8 million a year.
"I think with the country he's from and how good he is, he might be the most, at least his future potential, the most marketable star in cycling," Martin argues. "But it's 8 million euros a year. So let's say five years, that's a 40 million euro investment". Is it worth at this point in time to pay such a salary to a rider who hasn't yet ridden a Grand Tour?
"It's too much. I mean, that's what Pogacar makes. That's ridiculous, it's too much. If Pogacar makes 8 million in salary, how can you justify a salary of 8 million for Paul Seixas?" Martin argued: "Well, this is not this year. It would be for two years from now".
Paul Seixas wins in the yellow jersey at Itzulia Basque Country 2026
However there is nuance to it, as the top teams nowadays struggle to sign new stars, who are almost fully under long-term contracts. Whoever is able to sign Seixas is likely keeping him for a very long period of time and, if he performs according to his potential, it may be an invaluable asset to any team.
Only this winter the price tag for contract buyouts for riders such as Remco Evenepoel (now Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe), Juan Ayuso (now Lidl-Trek) and Oscar Onley (INEOS Grenadiers) have been in the multiple millions - excluding their salaries. The numbers game is higher than ever in cycling, and perhaps that is a value several teams, including Decathlon which is growing and might even have the support of French president Emanuel Macron, are willing to pay.
But there are obvious risks: "We've seen so many young riders... Some of them have won one Tour de France when they were young. 'Oh, you know, now he's gonna win three or four or five'. Never won it again. Not saying this is the case for Seixas, but I think it's really, really early days to talk about that kind of contract".
Soon more will be known, and although he has year and a half remaining in his current contract, there is no doubt that a deal will be made before. "if you're Decathlon, you can't afford to miss out on this," Martin argues, calling it the opportunity of a lifetime for a team that was nowhere close the big teams up until recently.
"Like let's say you cheap out, you say eight million's too much. He goes to UAE and he wins five Tours. You look like an idiot, right?" Only the future will tell what Paul Seixas will mean to the sport of cycling, and with which team.
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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- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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