The Tour de France, a “very long-term objective” assures Paul Seixas

Cycling prodigy Paul Seixas says he is still struggling to achieve what he achieved during a breathtaking breakthrough season, which has not yet satisfied him: “I always want more”.

“I always want more, and I think that guys who have won a lot in their career always operate like that,” he declared on Saturday November 14 in Japan, where he will participate on Sunday in the Saitama Critérium organized by the Tour de France.

The 20-year-old Frenchman became the youngest winner of the Tour of Lombardy this season and finished fourth in his very first Tour de France. He won his first World Tour level events at the Tour du Pays Basque, a week-long race, and then at the Flèche Wallonne one-day classic.

Seixas assures that he has no intention of resting on his laurels: “It's important to know how to switch and move on to another objective, he confided. I don't know what can happen. I know I can improve, but everyone is improving too today."

“I look forward, not back”

Not everything has been good for Seixas this year, however. He was beaten in the sprint by Isaac Del Toro at the Montreal Grand Prix and, at the World Championships, suffering cramps in the final kilometers while fighting for a medal, he had to settle for 15th place. "Sometimes we lose, but it doesn't matter. The next morning, we wake up and say to ourselves: 'OK, it's done,' he explains. I look forward, not back. Even if I won the Tour of Lombardy, I won't look at that when I start next season."

Seixas says he feels more respect from other runners now. But his attitude remains unchanged. “Whether you're the biggest star in the peloton or someone with nothing special, the relationship remains the same between us,” he assures us. “It's a good thing, because I don't think that if you're the best in the world, everyone has to pay attention to you.”

Under contract with Decathlon CMA CGM until the end of 2027, Seixas indicates that his team has not yet established its program for next season, but that winning the Tour de France constitutes its biggest “very long-term objective”.

Does he feel capable of achieving this by 2027? “With what I have shown this year, I am not capable of winning the Tour,” he replies. “But we cannot know what can happen next, so I will try to progress and I will see.”