The video has gotten almost half a million views so far. The sentiment is almost universal for pro cycling fans: Paul Seixas, please don't sign for UAE.
Creator Kilian Willems (Killow on Youtube) has written numerous short songs about cycling, including a 2023 anthem about German Mieke Kröger, but the song he posted last month has gained enough momentum to go viral.
It has resulted in a recent interview with L'Equipe about the song and topic that is especially dear to French cycling fans.
Back in March, after Seixas finished second behind Tadej Pogačar in Strade Bianche, Cyclingnews published an article about rumours that had surfaced that UAE Team Emirates-XRG were interested in signing Seixas from the Decathlon CMA CGM team.
The topic provided the inspiration for the viral video by Willems, who is a longtime cycling fan in general, and of the team and their young new star.
"I made that like during the last month, I was just checking Cyclingnews every morning and be like, 'Oh, I hope nothing new happened there'," Willems told L'Equipe. "Now I'm quite happy with how it turned out.
"I have a history of writing songs about cycling topics," Willems said. "I had a few lines from the song stuck in my head at some point, and then I thought, 'OK, well, this will make for a fun video for Instagram'.
"I was visiting my parents at that time, and I had none of my recording equipment or anything that I usually have," he explained of the simple guitar and voice production. "I did not expect it to pop up like that at all."
Already the number one team for several years running, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have been so dominant they hardly need to thin down the competition by signing the only rider able to hold onto Pogačar's wheel in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Since the rumours surfaced in March, there have been reports that French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron was personally involved in ensuring that Seixas remained in the French team.
While Willems' song may not influence cycling transfers, he clearly hit a nerve with the topic - the Instagram post has almost 450,000 likes.
"It's just crazy with what confidence [Seixas rides] and with how little time to adapt. He just goes in these races. He's 19, but still, he gets the whole team like riding for him. And he shows no nerves, really. He's the captain now, and he delivers with results already. So that's quite impressive," Willems said.
"Then these first rumours started popping up - Team UAE is looking into signing Paul Seixas, or like his brother is training with them somewhere in Monaco - this would be so awful, because it would make it so much more boring.
"Please stay where you are. Other teams are fine, please. It doesn't have to be the same as Pogacar. Keep it interesting for us fans," he said.
Willems has more recently posted a more refined version of the song to his Youtube channel.
Full lyrics:
Paul Seixas, you're too good to just be Pogačar's successor.
Do you want to spend your winters riding zone 2 in the desert?
Do you want a Richard Mille watch or a statue in my garden?
And could you let my sculptor know if you'd like stainless steel or marble?
And how lame would it have been if we had Jonas and Pogačar on the same team?
And how cool to beat their ass on a Decathlon bike?
You're the next Hinault, the chosen one, but won't someone think of me?
Paul Seixas, please don't sign for UAE.
Paul Seixas, I'm so tired of afternoon naps in July.
Now there is finally adrenaline inside of me, when I look at the start list.
Do you want to take the crown and be a hero?
Or do you want to win your first Tour 'cause your teammates rode the Giro?
Don't sign for,
don't sign for,
Don't sign for UAE, Paul.
Don't sign for,
don't sign for,
Don't sign for UAE, Paul.
Paul Seixas, I made some calls and I am happy to declare,
that there's this castle in Versailles, the state of France would like to share with you.
Or you could run for president,
man, please just sign the documents.
If you stay with your team,
We'll name some islands overseas French Paulynesia.
