🎥 Decathlon Tour de France squad in good spirits as Seixas reassures fans after crash and trains with the team
CyclingThursday, 02 July 2026 at 10:22
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Follow us on GoogleOn Thursday morning, two days before the start of the 2026 Tour de France, L'Equipe went all out with Paul Seixas on the front page. “The French are on the edge of their seats this summer,” reads the caption beneath a portrait of the 19-year-old Frenchman in the sports newspaper. In the interview, Seixas cheerfully goes along with the hype.
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Seixas is excited about his first Grand Tour and his first Tour de France. The top talent has bounced back well from his crash in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and hopes to build on his excellent 2026 season so far at the Tour de France.
This season he has won the Faun-Ardèche Classic, the Tour of the Basque Country, and the Flèche Wallonne. He finished second in the Tour of the Algarve, Strade Bianche, and the Liége-Bastogne-Liége, and if he hadn’t crashed on the penultimate day of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, he would have been in contention for the win there as well.
Seixas arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday, where the Tour de France will kick off on July 4 with a team time trial. “Rest assured, everything is fine. I’m in top form,” Seixas told French cycling fans. “My latest training block has put my mind at ease.”
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Seixas is pleased to have Kooij as a sprinter in the Tour de France
Seixas is clearly not shying away from the enormous pressure on his shoulders. He and Decathlon CMA CGM are even taking it in stride, not shying away from questions about a possible overall victory in Paris. The French team genuinely believes Seixas has a shot at a top result.
The presence of Olav Kooij as a sprinter on the team can therefore be seen in both a positive and a negative light. On the climbs, Seixas loses some extra support because of the Dutchman, but: “The fact that he’s here with a small sprint train gives us an extra goal. It also takes some of the pressure off.”
With his lead-out riders Daan Hoole and Cees Bol, Kooij can go for a stage win, allowing Seixas to focus on the general classification. “Olav is a great guy. He’s motivated by the project and will help me whenever possible on days when there isn’t a sprint. We complement each other well.”
Watch the video of Paul Seixas and Decathlon teammates on a pre-Tour de France training ride
David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Bellissimo colpo, ma niente overhype per favore. Delivery > press release.andrewf01-07-2026
- - Can someone explain how RCS Sport differs from the UCI? Who decides rules vs who runs the events? I’m a bit confused on the roles.cadencekingm01-07-2026
- - Not convinced this changes much. RCS has promised “leaps forward” before—let’s see genuine advances in rider safety and less convoluted transfer days first.julien01-07-2026
- - Love this. If he can reduce those last-minute route changes and improve TV timing windows, fans will notice a massive difference. Also hoping for better women’s race integration with prime slots.lindae01-07-2026
- - Ottima notizia per il ciclismo italiano! Con Guercilena alla guida, la qualità delle gare RCS può solo crescere.sprocketspiny01-07-2026
- - Quick question: what exactly does “overall responsibility” entail—route planning decisions too, or is that still mainly the race directors like Vegni?robert6501-07-2026
- - Fantastic move by RCS. He knows the politics and the peloton. If anyone can streamline team communication around transfers, start lists, and road books, it’s LG. Bring on a smoother Giro!davidm01-07-2026
- - Does this mean we could see stronger coordination between Giro/Tirreno–Adriatico/Milano–Sanremo on safety measures? Curious how he’ll work with CPA and the teams on barrier standards and extreme weather protocols.breakawaybikerd01-07-2026
- - Small correction: isn’t Grischa Niermann at Visma–Lease a Bike? The piece says he’s replacing Guercilena at Lidl–Trek, which doesn’t sound right. Might want to verify that.samanthak01-07-2026
- - Great hire by RCS. Guercilena’s track record at Trek—navigating the team through the Nibali era, nurturing talents, and steady results at Monuments—suggests he’ll tighten up race logistics and maybe freshen up the Giro’s route design. Excited to see if he pushes more gravel or altitude-heavy stages.cyclechamp4501-07-2026
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