73% say yes, but French Tour hero says no: 'Pogačar will not give Seixas a chance' at the Tour

The hype around Paul Seixas and a possible Tour de France debut is taking on extreme proportions. The 19-year-old Frenchman was being talked about as a Tour contender in his first professional season in 2025 — but it did not happen then. Now that he has taken enormous strides in 2026, even the big names in the sport are coming around to the idea.

Last winter, Decathlon CMA CGM's plan was anything but to take Seixas to the Tour. Then the young Frenchman started winning. A lot. First a stage at the Tour of the Algarve (and with it his first professional win), then the Faun-Ardèche Classic, and at the Tour of the Basque Country three stage wins and the overall title.

That Spanish stage race seemed to shift the general consensus. Anyone riding that dominantly surely had to start in the biggest race of the year? His win at La Flèche Wallonne added another layer on top of that. And we haven't even mentioned his second places at Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, behind the untouchable Tadej Pogačar.

In France the idea of sending a 19-year-old climber to the Tour de France has been embraced wholeheartedly. L'Équipe even ran a public poll, and no fewer than 73 per cent of voters said they would most like to see their new hero in action this summer. Decathlon CMA CGM and Seixas have not yet said anything publicly about it. The decision was expected to be made after Liège, presumably in May.

Analysts in the sport are divided. Geraint Thomas would rather see Seixas go, arguing: "The sooner he can get used to the pressure, the faster he will learn to deal with it. Right now, nobody is disappointed if he doesn't win — but in a few years that may be different." In his view, it should not be for a GC result.

No pressure from the team either. Marc Sergeant agrees. "He will never be able to go to the Tour with less pressure than this year." George Hincapie said: "He has such a strong foundation that 19 years old is not what 19 years old used to be." Jeroen Vanbelleghem said what everyone is really thinking: "Everyone wants to see him at the Tour de France now, don't they?"

The counterarguments are equally plausible. Greg Van Avermaet pointed to Seixas's age. "You should not underestimate the impact of a Grand Tour on a 19-year-old's body." Johan Bruyneel raises the same factor. "Personally I would not send him. I would give him some time and prepare a full team entirely in his service for the Vuelta."

Bobbie Traksel finds the whole debate hard to watch. The Dutchman was critical of the hype surrounding Seixas. "Champions like this should only race when they are one hundred per cent at their best and genuinely racing for the win. I think winning is obviously very important — but Seixas to the Tour... Why not do his first Grand Tour at the Vuelta?"

Perhaps two fresh perspectives can help move the debate along? Alberto Contador gave his view to Eurosport: "I do believe he is capable of competing — but he will be under pressure. The greatest pressure, however, is the pressure he puts on himself. A rider with those qualities and that self-belief dreams of winning the biggest race in the world."

The Spaniard stresses that if Seixas does ride the Tour, Decathlon CMA CGM should give him a free role. "We must not then expect him to win. The best possible outcome might be a podium place. He is still young, not yet fully physically developed. The Vuelta would in that sense be a Grand Tour with a little less stress — and better for the experience."

Pierre Rolland — who rode the Tour thirteen times and won two stages — may have the most clear-eyed assessment, speaking to Le Télégramme. "I haven't changed my mind: it's still a little too early. Paul has the level to compete — that is not the problem. But he cannot race with the aim of finishing second or third."

"Seixas must go to the Tour to win, and right now that is impossible. Pogačar is unbeatable — he will not let the chance to win the Tour five times slip by," Rolland continued. "Pogačar will not give Seixas an opening, and as far as I'm concerned: you learn by winning. Let Seixas first build a palmares before he goes to the Tour."