Belgian coach sees next Pogacar and Vingegaard emerging in Seixas and Widar, who face each other in Tour de l’Avenir

Widar was the top favorite at the start of last year's Tour de l'Avenir, but things went wrong and he collapsed while in contention for the yellow jersey. He will therefore be looking for revenge in the new edition. “He is in top form,” national coach Serge Pauwels confirmed to DirectVelo. “The Tour de l'Avenir suits him well. It's really his terrain, but I don't think it will be easy.” This year's Tour of the Future consists of eight stages spread over seven days: the final day will first feature a road race and then a climbing time trial.

A victory for Widar is far from certain. The 19-year-old Belgian will have his work cut out for him against Seixas. “Paul Seixas is a phenomenon,” Pauwels knows. The young Frenchman is making a huge impression in his first WorldTour year, with outstanding performances in the Tour of the Alps and the Critérium du Dauphiné, among others. “Finishing eighth in your first Dauphiné at the age of 18 is incredible. It will be a bit like Pogacar against Vingegaard. We are hopeful, of course.”

While Seixas is already making an impression at the professional level, Widar is winning just about everything in the U23 category. With victories in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour de l'Isard, and the Giro della Valle d'Aosta, everything is going smoothly for the climber, apart from his DNF in the Giro Next Gen. He would like to become the world champion in Rwanda, after his failed attempt in Zurich. For the first time, no pros will be allowed to compete in the U23 category, which is an advantage for Widar. “Everyone is waiting for his breakthrough. But it won't get any easier. He is very strong, and if he has a good day, anything is possible.”

Pauwels knows that he has a diamond in the rough with the 19-year-old Lotto rider, but according to the former climber, there is another 17-year-old super talent who will soon be making a name for himself. “Seff Van Kerckhove is a bit like Seixas, all things considered,” he says, praising the Belgian who now rides for the U19 team of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. “He is someone with a promising future, even though he has only just started. What he has already achieved, whether in time trials or uphill... It's really at a super high level." So write that name down.

You don't have to be an expert to see that Seixas is a top talent. But at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, they consider themselves lucky, because it's not just the 18-year-old rider who is impressing. There is another very young Frenchman in the team: Léo Bisiaux won a stage in the Tour of Burgos this week and finished third overall. “Compared to Seixas, he's more of a hyper-disciplined guy. The kind of guy who goes to bed at 9:30 and cooks chicken without butter or oil,” teammate Oliver Naesen told Wielerrevue about Bisiaux.

The two Frenchmen are from the same generation, but there is a big difference between the two youngsters. “Paul seems to have a little more of that ‘god given talent,’” explains the Belgian veteran. “Léo more like Vingegaard and Paul more like Pogacar? I'm not going to compare them to those guys. Those are big shoes to fill, but I understand what you mean.”