French Sensation Paul Seixas Refuses to Settle for Second Behind Pogačar

Paul Seixas isn’t shirking away from looming clashes against Tadej Pogačar and cycling’s other established superstars.

In fact, the French phenom says bring it on.

The audacious Decathlon CMA CGM teenager wants to take it straight to world No. 1 this spring, not only to see where he stands but to try to disrupt the current power structure.

“There is impatience to give 100 percent. You have to win when everyone is there, it is the most important and rewarding for a racer who has a competitive spirit,” he told Cyclismactu. “The goal is not to take over when he (Pogačar) is no longer there. The goal is to be able to beat him one day.”

He won’t have to wait long to try.

He’s on a collision course with Pogačar and the peloton’s other “bigs” at Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, two races that he will race for the first time in his sophomore pro season.

Of course, he’s not saying it’s going to happen this year, and the grand tours will be the ultimate proving ground later in his career.

For now, the classics offer an early stress test on where the would-be heir to the Pogačar throne stands.

No fear yet respect

Unlike some rivals who appear to sidestep head-to-head showdowns, at least Seixas is bold enough to want to test the waters to see how far he can go against the peloton’s best.

Belgian star Arnaud De Lie raised eyebrows last week when he said he is skipping Milan-San Remo because he said he has no chance against Pogačar or Mathieu van der Poel.

That might change, but right now, Seixas isn’t afraid to take it straight to Pogi and the peloton’s heavies.

“I still have to progress, because they are still a little above,” he said of Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel. “Now I want to measure my progress compared to last year, when I was already able to confront them. I think if you’re afraid, you’ve already lost.

“The word ‘fear’ is too strong and does not mean what you feel at the beginning of a race. I would say more that there is respect, a lot of respect for these guys.”

Those words could come back to haunt him, but at 19, Seixas knows he has nothing to lose.

He is riding the buzz from his spectacular season debut at the Volta ao Algarve, where he came away with his first pro victory with a stage win and hit second overall against a loaded field featuring Juan Ayuso, Oscar Onley, and João Almeida.

His grand tour debut remains undecided. There is an expectation that the team will shield him from the pressure-cooker of the Tour and steer him toward the Vuelta a España instead.  A decision won’t be made until later this season.

‘I have to race against the best’

The fact that his debut pro win came on the same mountain where Pogačar took his first pro win in 2019 was not lost on the French media.

Seixas’s every move is already front-page news in a cycling nation starved for a modern-era grand tour contender.

“I wouldn’t say I’m completely changing my status, but it’s no longer a novelty that I’m here. I’m in front, and we expect it now,” he said ahead of this weekend’s Faun-Ardèche Classic on Saturday.

“The real change is more than that I will no longer necessarily go to races to discover them, but try to make results, affirm my status, and continue to progress to get closer to the best.”

Now he rolls into an ambitious spring without flinching from the pressure.

His rookie pro season saw him win the Avenir — a race Pogačar also won — and hit the top 10 at the Critérium du Dauphiné against Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, and Tour podium man Florian Lipowitz.

He has not yet come close to beating Pogačar, but third at the European road championships behind the Slovenian and Evenepoel confirmed he packs both the ambition and the engine to try.

His spring calendar also features a crack at a first GC triumph at the brutal Itzulia Basque Country against Isaac del Toro, Ayuso, Primož Roglič, and Mikel Landa.

“The goal is to raise your arms as much as possible, but to raise your arms, you have to race against the best,” he told the French media. “There was already a huge plateau in the Algarve, but it’s these top riders who have the most impact on a race are the ones I have to race against, so I can know what I lack to reach the highest level.”

Pogačar, as always, might have the final word.

Confirmed spring program for Paul Seixas:

Faun-Ardèche Classic (February 28)
Strade Bianche (March 7)
Itzulia Basque Country (April 6)
La Flèche Wallonne (April 22)
Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 26)