Paul Seixas faces a new test at the Tour de France on Sunday, when he starts the ninth straight race day of his career.
The 19-year-old is already contesting his first Tour and his first grand tour. Stage 9 will take him beyond a limit he has never crossed before. Until now, Seixas had never raced more than eight consecutive days.
That makes Sunday a significant step for both rider and team. It also adds uncertainty to an already ambitious Tour debut. Seixas is the youngest rider to start the Tour in 89 years, according to the supplied report.
Paul Seixas reaches a new grand tour threshold
Grand tour debuts often come at the Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a España for young general classification talents. Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel all followed that route.
Seixas has not. He entered the biggest grand tour first, and he has done so while racing near the front.
Decathlon CGA CGM directeur sportif Julien Jurdie told Cyclism’Actu that the team is entering new territory with him. Jurdie said the staff would help Seixas manage the day, while stressing caution before any assessment.
The concern is not about current form. Jurdie said Seixas feels good and has recovered well so far. He added that the team sees encouraging signs before stage 9.
Seixas has long carried a reputation as a major talent. This season, he has moved to another level. He has taken seven wins, including three stages and the overall at the Itzulia Basque Country, as well as Flèche Wallonne.
His performances against elite opposition have strengthened that view. He finished second to Pogačar at Strade Bianche. At Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he stayed with Pogačar when the Slovenian attacked on the Côte de la Redoute.
The pair rode together for another 21 kilometers. Seixas even shared turns with Pogačar, who is eight years older. Pogačar began to think the race might come down to a sprint.
Seixas eventually lost contact on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. His runner-up finish still underlined the scale of his potential.
At the Tour, that potential has again translated into results. Seixas sits sixth overall, 3:55 behind Pogačar. Jurdie said there is little normal about the teenager’s race so far.
The sports director pointed to several performances. Seixas was ninth in Barcelona, fifth on a Pyrenean stage, and fourth on an early Tour stage. For a 19-year-old, Jurdie said, those results do not fit ordinary expectations.
Stage 9 brings climbing before the rest day
Sunday’s stage will not match Thursday’s route to Gavarnie-Gèdre, which crossed the Col du Tourmalet and finished uphill. It still carries a heavy workload.
The stage officially includes four categorized climbs. The category 2 Suc au May is the biggest listed obstacle. Beyond those climbs, the road continues to rise and fall throughout the day.
The riders face 3,300 meters of vertical gain. That total should make the stage draining, even after Saturday’s surprise decision to shorten the route.
Seixas and Decathlon CGA CGM will hope the extra day beyond his previous career limit does not cost him. Monday’s rest day should offer a chance to recover before week two.
The team will then have a clearer picture of how Seixas handles grand tour fatigue. Media speculation about a possible challenge to Pogačar has faded, but Seixas remains in position for a strong GC finish.
He also continues to race with bandages on both arms. Jurdie said those coverings are precautionary after Seixas’ crash and withdrawal from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
The goal is to protect healing wounds and prevent perspiration from causing problems. Heat could add another variable, but Jurdie said the team will keep adapting to the temperatures.