New Visma | Lease a Bike signing makes bold claim about World Championships Time Trial: "He’ll ride into the top 5"

The French will field two starters on Sunday, one of whom is Bruno Armirail. The experienced sprinter has repeatedly proven himself to be among the world's best in time trials, but in an interview with L'Equipe, the brand-new addition to Visma | Lease a Bike for 2026 points to his much younger compatriot: Paul Seixas.

Armirail and Seixas are both still riding for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale this season, so the 31-year-old Frenchman knows what he is talking about when it comes to the 18-year-old (!) Seixas. The winner of the Tour de l'Avenir and France's great hope for the future already finished third in the French time trial championship, three-quarters of a minute behind champion Armirail.

On a very challenging time trial course, climbers with time trial qualities are considered to have a good chance of success. Tadej Pogacar, for example, is named as Remco Evenepoel's main challenger. And it is also because of the course that Armirail is willing to take a chance on Seixas. “He's going to finish in the top 5,” was the ambitious prediction. “Paul is excellent, he has trained well, and the course suits him very well.”

Seixas himself was a little more cautious on Friday: “It will be a new challenge for me, I'm starting without any pressure. I haven't trained extensively for my time trial, but I know I can do well, so it shouldn't be a problem. It will be a great learning experience for me, but I'm part of the French team, so I'm also here to deliver results. I'm going to give it one hundred percent, then we'll see what happens.”