Who are the winners and losers from Paul Seixas's confirmed Tour de France debut?

It had been in the air for some time, and after Liège-Bastogne-Liège most people were convinced — but on Monday it was finally confirmed after weeks of speculation: Paul Seixas will make his Tour de France debut this summer. According to Belgian analyst Jan Bakelants, it is good news for the fans but bad news for the other podium contenders, as he told HLN.

Almost every cycling analyst has had their say over the past weeks. Is it the right call to send him to the Tour? Could the attention damage him? Those and many other critical questions were raised. Decathlon CMA CGM ignored the noise and came out with the confirmation: Seixas is in.

Bakelants is in favour. "I'm glad he's taking part. Nobody knows what it will bring, but his involvement will certainly add extra colour to the race." The Belgian does, however, underline the extraordinary nature of a 19-year-old on the start line. "His peers will be racing the Tour de l'Avenir this summer. But this young man is a sensation."

Can Seixas win on his debut? Bakelants thinks not. "I still rate Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard higher. But for Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz and Juan Ayuso, this is bad news. I think their podium chances suddenly look a lot smaller. The fight for the podium will be fiercer than ever."

For Bakelants, there is one clear winner — and it is not even Seixas himself. "The viewer is going to be the big winner. In recent years, the mountain stages have often been decided 10 kilometres from the finish. Now we could get the kind of sustained tension everyone has been craving. For fans, this is going to be a joy to watch."

Though form over three weeks is, of course, still an unknown for the young Frenchman. "He says himself he is going for the best possible GC result. A little vague — but that is the right attitude," the former rider adds.

For Decathlon CMA CGM, Bakelants says the months ahead are pivotal. "The team has a key role to play — they must create a bubble in which Paul can find peace." And not just for this season, but with an eye on his contract, which runs until 2027. "This Tour will certainly come up in the negotiations."

"July will teach him a great deal about what his current team is capable of. There is a lot at stake for the French team this summer. If they guide him well now, I think there is a real chance he signs an extension," said Bakelants, who advises Seixas to wait until after the Tour before making any contract decisions.

"Make sure you have all the information you need. After the Tour he will know whether the team can keep up with his pace." The Tour de France, in other words, will be defining for Decathlon CMA CGM just as much as it is for Seixas.