"We think we are the best team to develop him to win Grand Tours" - Visma's Plugge confirms direct interest in signing Paul Seixas
CyclingTuesday, 07 July 2026 at 16:10
It has been reported that Team Visma | Lease a Bike has strong interest in Paul Seixas and has also proposed the idea of having Jonas Vingegaard as a mentor for the Frenchman. It is a huge trump card for the young Frenchman, who is under a magnifying glass from multiple teams. Team CEO Richard Plugge has confirmed the team's interest and argues it is the best environment for Seixas to become a future Tour de France winner.
The talks between the two had previously been rumoured, but the same has been said of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, and other teams with large funds capable of rivaling Decathlon CMA CG Team. Recently, Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team has also been reported to offer a €13 million euro a year contract.
Visma is also in the race for Seixas' contract from 2028 onwards: “First of all, everyone wants to talk to Seixas and everyone wants to have him,” Plugge said in words to NOS. “We have Jonas. Jonas is our big leader at the moment. But we also have to look to the future. We are always developing riders and helping people get better.”
Plugge has already talked to Seixas
Contact was first made by Plugge at last year's Tour de l'Avenir, which had a stage finale at Visma's regular trianing location. “Yes, I spoke to him last year in Tignes. He was there and I was there. It was the Tour de l’Avenir and we spoke very briefly.” Communicating with the team's head is a big step, but this will only be possible if Seixas does depart the French team.
“He is with Decathlon and he still has a contract there. He has to respect his contract and we respect the rules, so we are not concretely working on anything. But if he decides to go to another team, then we think we are the best team to develop him to win Grand Tours.”
Could Jonas Vingegaard mentor Paul Seixas?
However, Visma is ready to deploy all their cards for what would be a massive transfer. The financial side will always be high, but on the table is specific mentorship from two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard - the only man who has rivaled Tadej Pogacar in recent years at the Grand Tours.
“Jonas is also doing a lot of coaching already, for example with [Davide] Piganzoli. Of course we do that ourselves as a team too, but Jonas plays a big role in that.”
“We will see. I think the boy is very sensible, very smart, and he will make a choice based on where he can achieve the best results," Plugge adds, before cementing that the belief is Visma is the ideal location for Seixas' future.
“We have already won Grand Tours with several riders,” he argues. "We have won the most Grand Tours of the current teams in the peloton, so we think he has the best chance with us to go on and win Grand Tours.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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