‘Confident About the Future’: Seixas Addresses Post-2027 Questions

Paul Seixas has two more races to come, the Singapore Criterium on Sunday and the Saitama Criterium one week later, but whether or not he figures there he’s already had a transformative year.

He had zero pro wins 12 months ago: now he has eight to his credit, including Il Lombardia and Flèche Wallonne.

That’s why he exits the season in, as he describes it, “in very good condition.

“I am quite happy with that, both physically and mentally,” he told l’Equipe.

“It gives confidence for the future. And that’s why I’m not thinking about my season, because I’m confident about the future.”

Seixas has reason to be: this summer he started his first Tour de France at 19 years of age, the youngest rider in 89 years. He went on to finish fourth overall, a stunning result for someone riding his first Grand Tour.

Add that to his other successes this year, including three stage wins plus the GC of Itzulia Basque Country, and it seems the hype is justified.

That makes him a headline act in Singapore and Saitama which are, incidentally, run by the Tour de France organizers.

They recognize his status as the nation’s great new hope, as does France itself.

And that’s why Decathlon CMA CGM is so keen to keep him.

‘I’d think I’m going crazy’

Seixas joined the French squad prior to 2025, turning pro with it that season, but had already been part of the stable due to two years with its under 19 development setup.

He’s been part of their plans for a long time but his success this year led to a frenzy amongst other squads.

While he has a year remaining on his current deal, there were reports that squads such as UAE Emirates-XRG, Visma-Lease a Bike and Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling were keen and wanted to buy out that contract.

Seixas ultimately decided to stay put, something his squad was relieved about. It is doing its utmost to keep him on board, including relocating to Switzerland in order to save on social security contributions and tax burdens.

The resulting budget boost would enable it to raise his salary and build an even stronger support squad.

However the question of where he will race after 2027 remains a big one. It’s something he spoke to l’Equipe about while also making clear he is trying to put it out of his mind for now.

“I’m on vacation,” he said, when asked if he has used this time to reflect on his future plans.

“If I start discussing a contract here, I’d think I’m going crazy. I took this time to rest and I think that if I don’t think about it for now, it may be clearer when I think about it again.

“We’ll see what I think about it in the future. But for now, I’m giving myself time.”

What he wants from a future team

Seixas turned 20 recently but often sounds a lot older than that. He has a maturity and a philosophy which is more typical of a much older rider.

Consider his answer when asked if all the questions about his future weigh on him.
“No, I think it’s part of the sport. It’s normal that we talk about the sequel, it’s good, because it means that people are interested in me and they are interested in where I’m going,” he said.

“Afterwards, I personally find it a little useless sometimes. Will I stay? Am I not going to stay? At the moment, there is no certainty.”

What helps is that he sees the bigger picture. He knows that best thing he can do is to have another standout season in 2027; if he does, that will take care of the contract, with even more options becoming available.

He doesn’t know where he is going after 2027 or, if he does, he is keeping it very quiet.

He did reply though when asked what he would like a future team to offer him, salary aside.

“It can give me the moon,” he said, smiling.

“This is a very difficult question for me. I’m looking for a feeling, a feeling. I really want to feel in line with this team, with people I appreciate.

“I think that’s the most important thing, after all.”