From Hinault to Pinot and Thévenet to Bardet: All of France praises Seixas, but the inevitable question arises

A debut year with the pros like Seixas experienced: many riders will have dreamed of it. He almost won the Tour of the Alps three times, giving the victory to his teammate Nicolas Prodhomme in the final stage. His legs proved to be excellent, his character and mentality at least as good.

Back in his home country, he finished an impressive fifth in the GP La Marseillaise in early spring and second in Paris-Camembert. In June, he added an impressive eighth place in the final classification of the Dauphiné, followed by two top-10 finishes in the French elite championships.

Seixas shifted his focus slowly to the fall, which began with the overall victory in the Tour de l'Avenir, the most prestigious race for promising young riders. This was followed by the World Championships in Rwanda for elite riders. There, he finished sixteenth in the time trial and thirteenth in the road race. Finally, the highlight came in his own country, with a third place in the European Championships, behind Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel. On Saturday, the Tour of Lombardy awaits as the icing on the cake.

"There's only one thing to say: hats off, really hats off," concludes French cycling icon Bernard Hinault in conversation with l'Équipe. "Who else would say that about a nineteen-year-old?" Bernard Thévenet, two-time Tour winner and also a French cycling icon, agrees. 'It's been a long time since we've had a rider with this potential.

“Now we can discover the potential of a young rider thanks to tests carried out at a very early stage, and his tests show something formidable. I don't think we've seen that since Hinault,” concludes Thévenet. Seixas' name is therefore frequently mentioned as the successor to Hinault, who was the last Frenchman to win the Tour in 1985.

For Thévenet, the performance at the European Championships was telling. “Some say it's only the European Championships, okay, but Pogacar and Evenepoel were there. He's the one who finished on the podium, while there are still a few strong guys behind them.” That means a lot, according to Hinault. “You can't perform so well at this level by chance; there is something in him that inspires a lot of optimism for the future.”

Fan favorite Thibaut Pinot is also impressed by Seixas. “For me, we haven't seen a phenomenon like this since Pogacar and Evenepoel. At his age, he may even be stronger than Pogacar. Pogacar finished third in the Vuelta in his first season and won three stages, but he was also two years older than Seixas.”

Now 19 years old, the question remains as to what the future holds. Should Seixas venture into the Tour in 2026, for example? Won't the pressure be too great? "We can only admire his achievements. We are certainly witnessing a truly unique phenomenon. He seems strong enough to handle it. From everything I hear, he has a carefree attitude and, above all, legs that will take him a long way," says Romain Bardet.

“Only he knows whether he really wants to or not,” says Hinault, looking ahead to a Tour participation. “I hope he also has the right to voice his opinion, because it concerns him first and foremost. Wouldn't it be better to start with the Giro or the Vuelta?” suggests the last French Tour winner, offering alternatives.

“That he says, ‘Hey, I'll see how I perform with a few excellent riders,’ instead of immediately attacking with the Tour de France, where he will inevitably encounter Pogacar? If I were him, I would pass on 2026 to push myself against opponents who are more within my reach,” says Hinault.

Pinot thinks his team will see it differently. "I think they'll throw him in at the deep end next year, in the Tour de France. If he's the best on the team, why wouldn't he go? Now there's not much risk of burnout. There's so much data on sleep, nutrition, training... We see the signs of fatigue immediately so that they won't exhaust him," says the former rider.

“Why would they stop him, anyway?” Pinot wonders aloud. “Besides, the Tour de France isn't the most physically demanding race. If they want to exhaust him, there are other ways. After that, he'll definitely be exposed in the media, and then it's mainly up to the team to protect him. He doesn't have to worry about that.”

According to Pinot, media attention is the main risk. “Especially because after our generation, that of 1990-1992, particularly Bardet, there was a period of calm among the riders competing in the GC. So, ten years later, he’s back in the spotlight and all eyes are on him. There aren’t many people left, which inevitably raises expectations.”