Paul Seixas (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) has invigorated the excitement of French cycling fans by confirming that winning the Tour de France is his primary career driver.
In an interview with Le Monde published on December 22, the 19-year-old French rider said of the Tour de France, "My dream is to win it before the end of my career. I’m optimistic, even though there are many steps still to take. That’s what drives me – it’s what I train for.”
Following his seventh-place finish at Il Lombardia on October 11, the hopes of French cycling have been heavily invested in the breakout rider.
That Lombardia result holds statistical significance. At 19, he became the youngest rider to finish in the top 10 of Il Lombardia. Rik Van Steenbergen won the Tour of Flanders at the age of 19 in 1944, but no rider between 18 and 19 has achieved a top-10 finish in any of cycling's five Monuments in the intervening 81 years.
Earlier in 2025, Seixas also became the youngest rider to finish in the top 10 of a UCI WorldTour stage race, placing eighth overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné. He followed that with overall victory at the Tour de l'Avenir and bronze at the European Championships.
"It was the best moment of my season," Seixas said of the European Championships when speaking to Le Monde. "The crowds were cheering me on everywhere… And sharing the podium with Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar was impressive."
No French rider has won the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985. Previous French hopes, including Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet, often struggled under the weight of national expectation. Seixas is actively courting the pressure rather than retreating from it.
Earlier French contenders focused on attacking, emotive racing to satisfy domestic crowds. His 2024 junior world time trial title and scientific approach to performance align more closely with the data-driven methods of current Grand Tour contenders than with traditional French panache.
Decathlon is taking full ownership of his team at the end of 2025, with an estimated budget reaching €40m and a stated ambition to become a top-three UCI WorldTour squad by 2028. Seixas sits at the centre of that project.
His 2026 calendar, as previously outlined, includes Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, with a potential Grand Tour debut still under consideration. For now, the timeline remains undefined, but a debut Tour de France would certainly be the key narrative in French cycling in 2026.
