A few hours before the start of the Tour de France, the scent of hope wafted from the hot air of Barcelona. Forty-one years after Bernard Hinault, the last French winner in 1985, his eventual successor prepares to discover Grande Boucle in the team time trial, Saturday 4 July. He’s only 19 years old, has only spent a season and a half as a professional, and still bears the scars on his arms from a fall in mid-June at the Tour of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but Paul Seixas has already opened the box again. fantasies, the content of which is not yet known.
“I have never seen such a French champion since Bernard Hinault.”enthuses Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France and the veritable bible of cycling history. In France there were Romain Bardet, Thibaut Pinault and even Julian Alaphilippe, but with the Lyonnais another era begins, the boundaries of which are still blurred. At each race this season, the French public learns a little more about this runner, he is different.
In Barcelona, he has already been invited to a press conference on Thursday intended for the favorites, although he has never started in the Tour. A sign that even the organization is already placing him in this area. He answered without offense and without unnecessary ambition. “What impresses me most is the maturity at his age. He really has a head on his shoulders, you can’t tell he’s 19. When you think back to where we were at his age, you tell yourself it’s really crazy.” smiles his compatriot Alex Boden, a member of the EF Education team.
“Everyone talks about him, but it’s worth it, he’s such a phenomenon. France is waiting for whoever wins the Tour, and it could be him. So I understand the enthusiasm.”
Alex Boden, EF Education racer
in the mixed zone, Thursday, July 2
His compatriots, interviewed at the runners’ presentation, carefully observed the origins of the phenomenon. “This is good for French cycling. After that, we want everything, everything faster, which has changed compared to my generation.” believes Warren Barguil, who is also very popular with the public, especially during the 2017 Tour, where he won the polka dot jersey and two stages.. “I think it will become more and more normal for us to have talent coming out of junior at 19 or 20 years old and exploding at the highest level.” – continues the Breton, recalling the precocity of Remco Evenepoel, comparable to the speed of development of Seixas of the same age.
Adored by the public to this day, Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) also notes the disarming maturity of Paul Seixas. “I don’t have any specific advice to give him, I think he’s very well surrounded. He’s handling it all pretty well at the moment. I hope he has a good Tour de France.” wishes him 5th place in the 2019 Tour, who that year, together with Thibaut Pinot, experienced the fury that surrounds the Frenchman, who is high in the overall ranking.
Paul Seixas, 19, is finishing up his preparations with his team just days before the start of the Tour de France. However, one question remains: will he be able to achieve cycling’s crown jewel status in the world’s biggest race?
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At his Decathlon-CMA CGM team, his teammates are already working to ensure that the Seixas bet goes as smoothly as possible. “He is very motivated, perhaps he does not yet understand the scale of the event, but gradually it will come. I think he’s in a good place both in his head and in his boots.”– assures Aurélien Pare-Pentre, who will be one of his guardian angels in the mountains.
Sprinter Olav Kooi, finally recovered from a virus that delayed his return until the end of May, also praises the man with whom he will share team leadership for three weeks. “I find it remarkable how he has carried himself this year and how he has taken a step forward after already showing great talent last year. It is quite extraordinary to see such a young rider already reaching this level.”revealed Team 24 year old Dutchman.
“This is a nugget, obviously we are mesmerized by this champion and not just his athletic performance.”
Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France
to AFP
Among his nominated opponents, we absolutely do not underestimate the 19-year-old Frenchman, no matter how ignorant he may be at this level. “I consider this one of the main obstacles on the way to the fifth coronation of Tadej Pogačar.”– summed up the sports manager of the Slovenian club UAE Team Emirates Matksin Yoksyan Fernandez on June 21 on the Bici.pro website.
Always cautious, Jonas Vingegaard is also wary of a runner whose ceiling no one knows yet. “I think he is very strong, he is a great competitor and we need to keep an eye on him. They asked me if it was a two-man fight. (with Pogacar) for the win, but I think there are several riders who can win, he is clearly one of them.” warned the 29-year-old Dane on Thursday. At the end of April, the Slovenian, a four-time winner of the Tour, joked that he was counting on “win as much as possible before Seixas destroys us all”.
With so many people watching him, Paul Seixas will be under pressure that is rarely seen. The pressure he is also putting on himself, as he confirmed on Thursday that the priority remains “play for overall rating” but I am also sure that you need to look for this balance between ambition and pleasure, this is “between making people like it and managing my efforts. I hope to delight the French and, above all, to be able to perform on my own.” it developed this week in Team.
The quest for general classification requires daily rigor and frequent renunciation of breaks and, therefore, theatrical victories. A strategy that may force him to temper his enthusiasm as an offensive runner. “I hope he doesn’t go against nature and run according to his instinct: if he wants to follow Pogačar and gets blown up, that’s too bad, he’ll really have to go for it, and not calculate everything from the first year to get the best possible place. Let him not resist a little bike ride with champagne, with real panache.”notes Notre consultant Liliane Calmejan.
Expected by many, Paul Seixas spoke at the presentation of his Decathlon CMA CGM Team! In his first Tour de France, the young Frenchman persists and aims for the general classification.
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An observation shared by newly retired Chris Froome, 41, who rode four Tours de France under the clock. “He’s a huge talent. He has a great future. But he’s only 19. If I had to give him advice, I would say: “It’s great that you’re doing the Tour this year, but be happy with it, enjoy it as much as you can, learn, soak it all up.” He shouldn’t put too much pressure on himself at this point. Especially with all of France pinning their hopes on him, it’s quite a heavy burden.”– recalls the Briton.
But how can we calm the enthusiasm of a hope capable of following Tadej Pogacar almost to the end of Liège-Bastogne-Liège or crushing competitors at the Tour of the Basque Country without even reaching 20 years of age? Admiring Tadej Pogacar, who finished third in his first Grand Tour in Spain in 2019, in addition to winning three stages, the Lyonnais want to take matters into their own hands and have no time to waste. “Seixas is a part of a very, very great caliber. Physically, it is his cursor, he has put it in his head. He is convinced that he is capable of competing with the best and racing for the podium. So if he breaks down, in his head he will be disappointed. Not with the end result, but with the process. Because his legs are a physical reality. He is not like the others.”– continues Lilian Calmejan.
IN “a machine that singles out the strongest, but which can also crush” as Christian Prudhomme reminds us, only Paul Seixas can judge whether his first tour will be a success. “There is no potential failure. I won’t have anything to apologize for. I just want to give it my all and make sure everything goes well. How can I be disappointed if in two weeks I can no longer play as a general? It doesn’t matter, this is experience for the future. And if everything goes well, so much the better.” he lost at Eurosportt on May 6, after announcing his participation.
The fact remains that by coming to High Mass in July, the declared prophet could quickly increase the number of his faithful, risking disappointing those who already expect too much from him. “That’s my only fear for him: if he doesn’t win, we’ll take it as a disappointment, even though he’s still just a kid. If this happens, he will force me to lie and immediately enter the battle. But at 19 years old, a lot is required of him.”concludes Chris Froome.