{"id":1917904,"date":"2026-05-04T08:26:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1917904"},"modified":"2026-05-04T08:26:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:26:06","slug":"pogacars-most-dangerous-new-rival-is-coming-for-the-2026-tour-de-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1917904","title":{"rendered":"Poga\u010dar’s Most Dangerous New Rival Is Coming for the 2026 Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-FAULKNER.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n

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Updated May 4, 2026 05:28PM<\/div>\n
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Paul Seixas will make his grand tour debut this summer at the Tour de France and target the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n

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The 19-year-old confirmed Monday he will line up alongside Tadej Poga\u010dar and Jonas Vingegaard this July in what will be the most hotly anticipated grand tour debut in years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really very happy to announce that I will participate in the next Tour de France,\u201d Seixas said Monday in a note from his team, Decathlon CMA-CGM.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not my state of mind or my conception of cycling to align myself with the Tour de France simply for experience,\u201d he added. \u201cI will aim for the best possible ranking.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news ends ongoing speculation about the French phenom and his future program.<\/p>\n

His rise has been so meteoric in the past 10 months he\u2019s already being hailed by home fans as the rider who could break the nation\u2019s long yellow jersey drought.<\/p>\n

There are whispers he could even be a threat to Poga\u010dar\u2019s crown.<\/p>\n

The long, lean climber matched King Pog last month on La Redoute at Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge and resisted his first moves earlier in spring at Strade Bianche.<\/p>\n

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In Poga\u010dar\u2019s absense, he dominated the brutal Mur de Huy of La Fl\u00e8che Wallonne for a marquee victory and won Itzulia Basque Country.<\/p>\n

With a birthday in September, Seixas will roll out for the grand d\u00e9part on July 4 still aged 19.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m only 19 years old but, as I\u2019ve already said, age is neither a brake nor an excuse,\u201d Seixas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision, taken in consultation with the team management, has been carefully considered and has been built collectively in recent days,\u201d he said. \u201cMy results since the beginning of the season have given me a lot of confidence; I feel ready, and I will have ambitious goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seixas\u2019 team Decathlon CMA-CGM made a nod to the rider\u2019s tender age in the tweet it posted to confirm the news Monday.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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“J\u2019ai quelque chose \u00e0 vous annoncer\u2026”<\/p>\n

“I have something to tell you…”#DECATHLONCMACGMTEAM – @Decathlon @cmacgm @van_rysel pic.twitter.com\/kcKzR4hBIo<\/p>\n

\u2014 DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM (@decathloncmacgm) May 4, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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How far can Seixas go this summer?<\/h2>\n

Seixas fever is gripping the French public right now.<\/p>\n

His impact this season has reportedly sparked a\u00a0bidding war among rival teams for his contract.<\/p>\n

Seixas is a sensation, there\u2019s no doubt. However, opinions will be divided on whether he should race the Tour so young.<\/p>\n

Seixas is bullish that age is no object.<\/p>\n

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Team Decathlon CMA-CGM agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made a remarkable start to the season and is already among the best riders in the world,\u201d said team manager Dominique Serieys. \u201cAnd the best are destined to be aligned on the biggest race on the calendar: the Tour de France.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar first burst onto the world stage aged 20 when he won three stages, the white jersey, and placed third at the 2019 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a in his first grand tour.<\/p>\n

Nobody will bet against Seixas doing similar at the Tour de France in 2026.<\/p>\n

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Jim Cotton<\/span><\/div>\n

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Updated May 4, 2026 05:28PM<\/div>\n
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[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-racing\/seixas-confirms-tour-de-france-debut-duel-with-pogacar\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Copy-of-FAULKNER.jpg”] Jim Cotton Updated May 4, 2026 05:28PM Paul Seixas will make his grand tour debut this summer at the Tour de France and target the yellow jersey. The 19-year-old confirmed Monday he will line up alongside Tadej Poga\u010dar and Jonas Vingegaard this July in what will be the most hotly anticipated grand […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1917904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1917904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917904\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1917904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1917904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1917904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}