Top 10 youngest and oldest riders at the 2026 Tour de France - From Paul Seixas to Damiano Caruso, youth meets experience at Barcelona Grand Depart
CyclingThursday, 02 July 2026 at 21:30
Youth and experience will collide at the 2026 Tour de France as some of professional cycling's newest sensations do battle with some grizzled veterans reaching the end of glittering careers.
From teenage sensation Paul Seixas to the eternal Damiano Carruso, the Tour de France is no longer a race for riders only in the peak or twilight years of their careers. The sport's evolution has seen riders perform at the pinnacle of competition at a much younger age than traditionally seen at the Grand Boucle.
That can be seen by examining the ten youngest riders in the race, with at least three of them set to focus on general classification while several others can expect to battle for various jerseys or stage wins.
On the other side of the spectrum, the veterans still can mix it with the best. While their experience make them valuable to teams in support of leaders or as road captains. Although, some of our ten oldest riders could also be seen fighting for stage or race honours.
Youngest riders at the Tour de France
It comes without surprise that Paul Seixas, at just 19-years-old, is the youngest rider in the race, arriving with one of the biggest ambitions. The Decathlon CMA CGM rider has enjoyed a terrific season, and carries tremendous momentum in his bid to challenge Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard for the yellow jersey.
Isaac Del Toro arrives as a genuine podium contender at 22-years-old, while the likes of Cian Uijtedebroeks and Romain Gregoire are other GC-focused riders that are just 23.
22-year-old Lenny Martinez returns to the Tour to once again challenge for the KOM jersey while other of the race's youngest contenders include Robbe Dhondt, Vlad Van Mechelen, Per Strand Hagenes and Ewan Costiou.
| 1 | SEIXAS Paul | 19y + 283d |
| 2 | DHONDT Robbe | 22y + 9d |
| 3 | VAN MECHELEN Vlad | 22y + 32d |
| 4 | TARLING Joshua | 22y + 139d |
| 5 | DEL TORO Isaac | 22y + 219d |
| 6 | MARTINEZ Lenny | 22y + 358d |
| 7 | HAGENES Per Strand | 22y + 359d |
| 8 | UIJTDEBROEKS Cian | 23y + 126d |
| 9 | GRÉGOIRE Romain | 23y + 164d |
| 10 | COSTIOU Ewen | 23y + 236d |
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Oldest riders at the Tour de France
To put just how experienced Damiano Carruso is, he's just 301 days short of being exactly double the age of Paul Seixas. The Bahrain-Victorious rider is 38-years-old and in his final season as a professional. He'll be tasked with guiding Antonio Tiberi through the race, but could feature prominently should he attack.
John Degenkolb is another experienced rider, he's joined by Ion Izagirre and Nelson Oliveira as riders at 37-years-old. There are several riders also at 36. George Bennett is enjoying a career renaissance after an impressive Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes while Michal Kwiatkowski will be ager to chase another stage victory after his 2023 Grand Colombier triumph. Meanwhile, Matteo Trentin, Jan Tratnik and Tom van Asbroeck.
There are multiple riders also at 35-years-old behind tenth oldest Silvan Dillier, including figures who will be key to the GC battle such as Tim Wellens and Victor Campenaerts as well as classics specialists Michael Matthews and Toms Skuijins.
| 1 | CARUSO Damiano | 38y + 265d |
| 2 | DEGENKOLB John | 37y + 178d |
| 3 | IZAGIRRE Ion | 37y + 150d |
| 4 | OLIVEIRA Nelson | 37y + 120d |
| 5 | TRENTIN Matteo | 36y + 336d |
| 6 | TRATNIK Jan | 36y + 131d |
| 7 | BENNETT George | 36y + 88d |
| 8 | VAN ASBROECK Tom | 36y + 76d |
| 9 | KWIATKOWSKI Michał | 36y + 32d |
| 10 | DILLIER Silvan | 35y + 335d |
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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