Paul Seixas will make his debut at this year’s Tour de France, his team confirmed on Monday, after months of intense speculation.
The Decathlon CMA CGM rider, just 19, will become the youngest starter at the Tour in 89 years as a result, and only the second 19-year-old to take part in the 21st century. However, Seixas will also be looking for a result in the biggest bike race of them all, a race a Frenchman has not won since 1985, although Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift last year.
“I am truly delighted to announce that I will be participating in the next Tour de France. It’s been my childhood dream, something I’ve often imagined, and now it’s very close,” Seixas said in a statement.
Article continues below
“I’m only 19, but as I’ve already said, age is neither a hindrance nor an excuse. This decision, made in consultation with the team management, was carefully considered and developed collectively over the past few days. My results since the start of the season have given me a lot of confidence; I feel ready and I will have ambitious goals.
“We had arranged to meet after the Ardennes Classics to decide on Paul Seixas’s next steps. We needed to take the time to thoroughly analyze all the data and also discuss it with Paul and his team,” team manager Dominique Serieys added.
Explore More
