Paul Seixas will make his debut at this year's Tour de France, his team confirmed on Monday, after months of intense speculation.
The Decathlon CMA CGM rider, just 19, will become the youngest starter at the Tour in 89 years as a result, and only the second 19-year-old to take part in the 21st century. However, Seixas will also be looking for a result in the biggest bike race of them all, a race a Frenchman has not won since 1985, although Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift last year.
“I am truly delighted to announce that I will be participating in the next Tour de France. It’s been my childhood dream, something I’ve often imagined, and now it’s very close," Seixas said in a statement.
"I’m only 19, but as I’ve already said, age is neither a hindrance nor an excuse. This decision, made in consultation with the team management, was carefully considered and developed collectively over the past few days. My results since the start of the season have given me a lot of confidence; I feel ready and I will have ambitious goals.
"It’s not my mindset or my vision of cycling to line up for the Tour de France simply to gain experience, and I will be aiming for the best possible overall ranking. Before that, I will also be competing in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné) in June, on roads I know very well and in a format that will serve as ideal preparation for my first Grand Tour."
Seixas, the winner of the Tour de l'Avenir last summer, won his first elite bike race in February at the Volta ao Algarve. Since then, he has won the Faun-Ardèche Classic, three stages and the overall at Itzulia Basque Country, and then La Flèche Wallonne. He also finished second to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at both Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
"We had arranged to meet after the Ardennes Classics to decide on Paul Seixas’s next steps. We needed to take the time to thoroughly analyze all the data and also discuss it with Paul and his team," team manager Dominique Serieys added.
"He has had a remarkable start to the season and is already among the best riders in the world. And the best are destined to compete in the biggest race on the calendar: the Tour de France. With great humility and a focus on learning, Paul will start in Barcelona with real ambitions to achieve the best possible result in the general classification."
