“Thrown into the deep end before he’s finished splashing around” - Marc Madiot warns Paul Seixas must control Tour de France risk after costly crash

Paul Seixas’ crash on the Grand Colombier did not end his Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but it has sharpened the question hanging over his first Tour de France: how much risk should Decathlon CMA CGM Team allow their teenage star to take before July?

The 19-year-old went down at close to 70kph on stage 7 after an error on a descent, then chased for around 60 kilometres to rejoin the peloton and limit his losses on the final climb. He reached the final stage still sixth overall, 1:54 behind Luke Tuckwell, but the effort left him bandaged and bruised before one last mountain day.

For Marc Madiot, the Groupama - FDJ United boss and RMC consultant, the crash and recovery ride belonged to the same wider picture. Seixas’ talent is already obvious. His margin for waste before a Tour de France debut is much smaller.

“He is learning, but the problem with learning is that he has been thrown into the deep end before he has finished splashing around,” Madiot said on RMC’s Les Grandes Gueules du Sport.

Madiot framed Seixas’ week against Isaac del Toro’s rise through the same race. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider won stage 7 on the Grand Colombier after catching and dropping Juan Ayuso, moved to third overall, and starts the final stage 49 seconds behind Tuckwell.

Seixas reached the same final climb after a crash, a long chase and a day spent limiting damage. “I find his communication to be a model of media training,” Madiot said. “But I see a small concern from this week of racing. Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro are two worlds colliding. Del Toro is about management, development and putting something in place with the next Tour in mind. Seixas is all fire and flame. He is exciting, but I see an extremely significant energy expenditure.”

With the Tour de France now so close, Madiot believes Seixas' instinct will need tighter limits once the stakes rise in July. “It will have to be more controlled at the Tour,” Madiot added. “I think he is still learning. I hope it won’t be detrimental to him, but I do have some small concerns.”

Jerome Pineau, the former rider and team manager, took a less worried view of the crash. He accepted that Seixas had crossed the limit on the descent, but argued that the lesson would be absorbed quickly.

“Yes, he took too many risks, and it is not the first time,” Pineau said. “He does not need that. But he has to learn and he will not make the same mistake twice. Little geniuses learn quickly. He is only 19! He learns so quickly.”

Seixas appeared at the start of the final stage with dressings on his arms, but still smiling. “We go again, we don’t abandon!” he said.

The final stage to Plateau de Solaison gives him one last chance to shift the race after a week that has already swung from promise to pain and back into survival. Tuckwell starts in yellow, Matteo Jorgenson sits second at 42 seconds, Del Toro is third at 49 seconds, and Seixas remains close enough at 1:54 to keep himself in the conversation if the final climb turns chaotic.

For July, the argument around Seixas has moved beyond whether he has the legs. Madiot’s warning is about control, risk and the price of learning at full speed.