French super talent Paul Seixas will make his highly-anticipated debut at Strade Bianche on Saturday, with his Decathlon CMA CGM team and all of France hoping he can take on Tadej Pogačar.
The 19-year-old French impressed when he dropped Matteo Jorgenson to win the Faun-Ardèche Classic with a 40km solo ride. A similar performance at Strade Bianche could lead to another breakthrough result.
"Taking part in Strade Bianche is something I'm really looking forward to. It's one of my favourite races. I've been watching it on TV since I was twelve or thirteen and I can't wait to experience it for myself," he said when Decathlon CMA CGM confirmed their seven-rider line-up that includes Paul Lapeira and Jordan Labrosse.
Seixas may lack Pogačar's explosiveness on the steeper gravel roads but he has the ability and bike skills to handle the longer climbs and gravel roads. He is a former cyclo-cross rider and has already raced on the Tuscan gravel.
"When I was in the U19 category, I competed twice in the Eroica Nations Cup, which included several sections of gravel roads. I really enjoyed it because it was a bit like cyclo-cross," the explained.
"I think it's a race that could suit my profile but the list of riders at the start is impressive. The goal, with the help of my teammates, is to see where I stand compared to them."
Seixas made his WorldTour debut in 2025 and his carefully planned 2026 spring campaign included an altitude training camp and the Volta ao Algarve. He won the Queen stage of the Volta ao Algarve ahead of João Almeida and Juan Ayuso and finished second overall behind the Spaniard.
Strade Bianche is his final race before taking a break. He will return to racing at Itzulia Basque Country and the Ardennes Classics before deciding if he will make his Tour de France debut in July.
France has already fallen in love with Seixas and the possibility he could be the next French Tour winner.
"For me, he's already in the top five or six in the world. We have Tadej Pogačar, Isaac del Toro, Jonas Vingegaard, Paul Seixas, Mathieu van der Poel, and Remco Evenepoel. In the peloton, we have this ability to sense the balance of power. And he's already demonstrated that balance of power," Marc Madiot, former manager of rival French team Groupama-FDJ United, told RMC Radio at the weekend.
"Everything is faster today, that's true for all sports, so it's perfectly logical that at 19 or 20 years old, we're at physical levels that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
"Seixas has something that others don't have, or that few have, like Pogačar. Messi also already had something that others didn't have when he started kicking a ball. For now, we don't see any weaknesses in Seixas. He has everything in his repertoire."
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