"There is a 90% chance": Christian Prudhomme highly optimistic about Paul Seixas racing the Tour de France

The search for the next great French cycling superstar has been an ongoing storyline for decades, but the nation might have finally found its definitive answer in Paul Seixas. At just 19 years old, the phenomenal young talent is already making history, and whenever a local rider shows this level of world-class potential, the immediate question on everyone's mind is whether they will line up for the biggest race in the sport: the Tour de France.

The pressure on French riders to perform on home soil is always immense, and the public is already dreaming of seeing Seixas at the start line of the Tour de France, which runs this year from July 4 to July 26. The hype surrounding the teenager is completely justified based on his recent results.

Seixas recently claimed a massive overall victory at the Itzulia Basque Country, becoming the first French rider to win a World Tour stage race since Christophe Moreau won the Critérium du Dauphiné way back in 2007. Despite this monumental achievement, Seixas is still keeping his cards close to his chest regarding his participation in July.

While the young rider maintains the suspense, Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme is not shying away from making bold predictions. In a recent interview, Prudhomme explained why he firmly believes the cycling world will see the young prodigy at the start of the Tour.

"There is a 90% chance. [...] I have the feeling that he is going to come," Prudhomme assured during the podcast. "What I sense from the various discussions is that a few weeks ago the team was wondering why he should be at the Tour, and now they are desperately looking for reasons not to put him in the Tour."

Earlier in the season, Prudhomme was perfectly fine with the idea of giving the teenager more time to develop. However, a specific performance completely altered the Tour director's perspective. Before his Basque triumph, Seixas delivered a stunning ride in the Ardèche region that proved he could drop the elite riders of the peloton through pure strength.

"I was saying until February, before he won in Ardèche, that if he doesn't come, we won't hold it against him," Prudhomme admitted. "But after his solo breakaway of 42 kilometers, distancing some of the best riders in the world, my view has changed."

Riding well in one-day races or one-week events is very different from surviving the brutal three-week marathon of the Tour de France. Prudhomme observed Seixas's tactics during the Tour of the Basque Country and concluded that the youngster was actively testing his own physical limits.

"He made a maximum effort, not just to win the race, but also to put himself in conditions to ask: 'Am I capable of holding up over time?'" Prudhomme explained. "I think that in certain attacks, he wanted to do everything to tire himself out."

Before making any final decisions about July, Seixas will continue to test himself against the absolute best in the upcoming Ardennes Classics. The French sensation is currently preparing to line up for La Flèche Wallonne on April 22, followed by the Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 26.