The Great French Hope - Paul Seixas Update

Tweet

I took my mountain bike out for a 17-mile ride this morning, so while I still have bikes on the brain, here’s my update on young French phenom Paul Seixas at the Tour de France: 19-year old French rider Paul Seixas made waves this year when he became the youngest Tour rider in the modern era (and youngest since 1937.) Since the French hadn’t had a Tour winner since 1985, all of France are pinning their hopes on the young cyclist, who has been dominant thus far in his short career. How did he do in his first attempt? Riding for the French-based Decathlon GMA CGM Team, Seixas performed admirably. He finished overall in 4th place, the youngest rider ever to place in the Top 5 in a Tour de France. He finished 11 minutes, 56 seconds behind winner Tadej Pogacar, and just 2:14 off the podium (and 2:14 out of the Best Young Rider - under 26 - White Jersey competition. Isaac Del Toro, who finished 3rd overall, also won that competition.) He finished in the top ten on eight of the 21 stages, 6 of those being top 5 finishes. Considering that this year’s Tour had no French stage winners, Seixas at least gave his countrymen something to cheer about. Most importantly, the team stresses that they learned a lot about Seixas’ recovery ability, crucial in a Grand Tour. Decathlon is being patient with their young star. The entire experience should only pay dividends in the future. France can finally see a light at the end of what has been a dark tunnel for 41 years. Link is to an AI short about Seixas (name mispronunciation gives it away) at the Tour: