“UAE might sign Paul Seixas? Honestly I hope not” - Joaquim Rodriguez urges French wonderkid to reject advances from Tadej Pogacar’s super-team

The rise of Paul Seixas has quickly turned into one of the defining storylines of the early 2026 cycling season. At just 19 years old, the rider from the Decathlon CMA CGM Team has gone from promising talent to one of the most sought-after young riders in the sport, with major teams already circling.

Among the rumours circulating inside the peloton is the possibility of UAE Team Emirates - XRG attempting to bring the French prodigy into the same setup as Tadej Pogacar. That prospect has not been greeted enthusiastically by everyone in the sport.

Former world-class climber Joaquim Rodriguez admitted he hopes such a move never materialises.

“You hear that UAE might sign Seixas. Honestly I hope not, because that would already be incredible,” Rodriguez said in conversation with Marca. “Ayuso moving to Lidl-Trek, for example, has opened up certain races more. Hopefully, Seixas stays with his team. There’s also talk that Ineos has received a new sponsor and will have more money. We’ll see.”

The level Seixas has reached this season explains why so many teams are watching closely. The French teenager has already produced a string of performances that would be notable for a seasoned professional, let alone a rider in only his second year in the WorldTour.

His campaign began with an impressive second place overall at the Volta ao Algarve, where he beat riders such as Joao Almeida in a summit sprint and pushed eventual winner Juan Ayuso throughout the week.

Only days later, Seixas confirmed that performance was no one-off with a dominant victory at the Faun-Ardeche Classic, attacking from distance and riding clear of rivals including Matteo Jorgenson.

Even when facing the sport’s current benchmark at Strade Bianche, Seixas again impressed. Pogacar ultimately won after launching one of his trademark long-range moves, but the young Frenchman remained the most persistent chaser before finishing second after distancing Isaac del Toro on the climb to Santa Caterina.

For many observers, those performances confirmed that Seixas is not merely another promising youngster but a rider capable of shaping the next era of the sport.

Rodriguez believes that any discussion about cycling’s future still begins with Pogacar, whose dominance continues to set the tone across the peloton.

“I wouldn’t say it’s boring,” Rodriguez said when asked about the Slovenian’s supremacy. “When Pogacar wins, it’s always entertaining because UAE moves the race from far out. But there comes a point when it starts to feel like a monologue.”

“You watch Strade Bianche, and you already know how he’s going to race, that he might go solo from 90 kilometres out and win. It’s a bit of a shame. Still, even when he puts on a show, he provides entertainment.”

That reality is part of the reason why the idea of Seixas joining Pogacar’s team has sparked debate. If the French prodigy were to sign for UAE, it would place two of the sport’s most explosive attacking riders within the same powerhouse structure.

Rodriguez also pointed to the increasingly intense demands placed on young riders in today’s peloton, suggesting that careful development may be more important than ever.

“Cycling has changed a lot,” he explained. “Now I see youth and junior teams run by friends of mine, and the seriousness with which these young riders work. They prepare from a very young age for what’s coming. When we were juniors, we took a sandwich with us and arrived an hour early just to hang out with friends. It was completely different.”

The Spaniard added that the accelerated path to the top may help explain why more riders appear to reach their peak earlier, and sometimes leave the sport sooner. “It could be,” he said when asked about increasingly young retirements. “Everyone is different. In our time, I remember cases like Kittel or Dumoulin, but it wasn’t that common. Now, many riders start very young at an extremely high level. Those ten or twelve years of peak performance may start earlier than before.”

For a rider as young as Seixas, that perspective reinforces the argument that continuing to develop within a team already built around him could be the smartest path forward.

While Seixas continues to attract growing attention, Rodriguez also believes the coming years could see multiple riders emerging to challenge Pogacar’s dominance.

Among them is Ayuso, now riding for Lidl-Trek after his winter transfer. “He’s one of those riders touched by the magic wand,” Rodriguez said of the Spaniard. “There are four or five like that. In the Tour, today, with Pogacar, I don’t see anyone, not even Vingegaard. He’s showing incredible superiority. But if Ayuso focuses his calendar on another Grand Tour where he’s racing against Evenepoel or Vingegaard, then he could fight for one.”

Whether Seixas ultimately stays with Decathlon or becomes the next target in cycling’s transfer market arms race remains to be seen. What is already clear, however, is that the 19-year-old has quickly become central to the sport’s next generational storyline.