The promising 19-year-old Paul Seixas, France’s new cycling sensation, said on Wednesday that he is confident he can “shine” and achieve “great things” in the Tour de France, where he will become the youngest starter since 1937.
The young rider has become a sensation in a country that has not seen a French winner of the prestigious race since Bernard Hinault in 1984.
“I haven’t set any specific goals, just to give my best. The first week will be something I already know,” he said during a press meeting, including with AFP, at the performance center of his team Decathlon CMA-CGM in La Motte-Servolex, near Chambéry in east-central France.
“It will be a discovery for me; we’ll see how it goes. I hope to shine. I’m not sure of anything, but I think I have the ability to do great things,” he added. “For now, the idea is to achieve the best possible position in the general classification.”
So far in the 2026 season, the young rider has collected six victories. He won a stage in the Volta ao Algarve and finished second overall, triumphed solo in the Classic Ardèche, and placed second in the Strade Bianche, behind Tadej Pogacar.
His definitive breakout came in the Vuelta al País Vasco, where he secured three stage wins. Then he won the Flèche Wallonne and, most recently, took a commendable second place in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic on April 26, where he was the only rider able to follow Pogacar for a time.
However, Seixas will face enormous pressure during the Tour, which will also be his first three-week race. “We handle (the pressure) well; the team protects me. I’m in a bubble and don’t think too much about it. There’s a lot of talk, but I don’t look at it much. I prepare more for what’s coming than for what’s around now,” he noted.
As preparation for the major French event, Seixas will aim for “victory” in the Tour of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (June 7-14), also held in his home country.
The 2026 Tour de France will start on July 4 in Barcelona, Spain, and finish on July 26 on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.