"There is room for improvement everywhere" - 18-year-old wonderkid Paul Seixas set to star in first World Tour season after beating Vingegaard on Coll de Rates

Paul Seixas is viewed by those in the know as one of the big hopes for the future of French cycling. The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team prodigy is already making waves too, and recently set the fifth fastest time on Coll de Rates, one second quicker than Jonas Vingegaard.

Speaking to Cyclism'Actu, the 18-year-old Frenchman gave an insight into some of his goals for what looks like a big future in the sport. "The Tour de France, I think that for all French people, and for many riders in the world, it's everyone's dream," he says, getting straight to the point. "And then, it's sure that when you see the Tour, it can get lost everywhere. And that's also what made me want to be versatile and not set limits for myself, it's that if you're good in all areas, it will always be an advantage over others, and if you ever find yourself in a bad situation, there's always a way to escape if you've never set limits for yourself. That's it, always be versatile and have fun on the bike."

"I'm 1m85 and right now I weigh 62 kilos. I gained a little, then I did a little bodybuilding there. Then this winter, I'm going to work on different fibers from last winter when I did cross, it's definitely not the same," he continues, going into detail about he type of build as a promising youngster. "But there you go, I gained 1 or 2 kilos, then we'll see what it gives during the season. Generally, I don't gain too much and I don't lose too much, I have a metabolism like that which allows me not to lose too much."

"There is room for improvement everywhere, there are marginal gains to be found everywhere. And of course we will tell ourselves that these are only marginal gains, that it doesn't gain much... But accumulating several marginal gains, that makes a big gain in the end, and that's what makes the difference at a high level I think," he continues. "All the riders are exceptional, and I think that it's these little details that will make the difference. Then of course there are riders like Pogacar who are extremely talented, but I think that there are also a lot of marginal gains that make a big difference in the end."

As for 2025, the 18-year-old is already expected to make a debut at World Tour level. "I hope t the whole season goes well! That I learn things and progress, that on the bike it works and that I get good results," he previews. "I would like to have a season that promises for the future. I know that I will not do a Grand Tour, which is normal because I do not have the basics yet. I would like this season to be part of the continuity of my project to summarize."