"Winning the Tour de France is a dream" - Can wonderkid world champion Paul Seixas be the rider to end long wait for French Maillot Jaune winner?

Earlier this week, Paul Seixas sensationally secured himself the junior World Championship time trial title in Switzerland. A rider much touted by those in the know, Seixas seems to have a big future in store for him.

As is often the case when a new French super talent emerges, talk quickly turns to the Tour de France and the long wait for a home winner of the Maillot Jaune. "Of course. Many will start talking to me about it, but there are still some great years to go before that," answers Seixas with maturity beyond his years when asked about the topic by Eurosport. 

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With Seixas only celebrating his 18th birthday this Tuesday, the Tour de France victory does seem some way away, but as he steps up to the World Tour in 2024 for the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team, it's not long before we see how the French wonderkid handles himself amongst the elite. 

"Of course, the end result for me, my dream, would be to go to the Tour and do something. Winning the Tour de France is a dream, like for 90 or 95% of riders, but there is still so much work to do. You shouldn't tell yourself that I'm going to win the Tour de France tomorrow," he continues. "It's going to be long, it's going to be hard, but the most important thing is to have fun and be well supported. I think that in that respect, I made the best choice."

And as for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team, Seixas has no regrets on choosing the French-based team despite having offers from elsewhere. "Yes, it's true. There were contacts, I'm not going to deny it," he concludes. "It's also something that makes me proud because it shows that my season was successful. I made that choice, I don't regret it. I'm happy to be here."

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See the full schedule and race programme of the 2024 World Championships in Zurich right here!