There’s hype, and then there’s whatever Paul Seixas is doing right now. Which is winning–a lot.
The 19-year-old’s performances are making his own team feeling…a little blown away. On The Cycling Show, Decathlon CMA CGM directeur sportif and former pro Heinrich Haussler didn’t try to dress it up.

“I’m basically speechless,” he said, as reported by Cycloupdate.

Seixas’ overall victory at Itzulia Basque Country didn’t come out of nowhere, but damn, it was still impressive.

The great French hope delivers

The French teenager had already hinted at something bigger with a first pro win at the Volta ao Algarve, then went a step further with second at Strade Bianche behind Tadej Pogačar. The kid is good. Very, very good.

At Itzulia, though, he dominated. Seixas won stages he didn’t even need to, and he did it with the panache of a guy like Bernard Hinault. Which, btw, is an important name to consider, given what pretty much all French cycling fans may be expecting from Seixas.

Impressive style of racing

For Haussler, it’s the way Seixas races that stands out as much as the results.

“His mental approach, the way he rides, the moves in the finale… for a 19-year-old, I’m completely blown away,” he said.

That impact is already being felt across the team. Seixas’ presence has shifted expectations internally, changing the way Decathlon lines up at races.

“If you have a rider like that… we’re here to win,” Haussler said.

Meanwhile, there were rumours the team would change its licence to a Swiss one, due to the high costs of French labour laws which can take away from its overall budget.

Marc Madiot has spoken of this in the past, but according to Decathlon bosses, that ain’t happening, and the team will continue with its French identity. Given that Seixas clearly is The Next Big Thing, you can imagine that everyone in the country wants the team to keep it as Francais as possible.

Even French PM Emmanuel Macron was in on the “Keep Decathlon French” movement.

It’s been a long time since a French male rider has won the Tour (Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the women’s in 2025). For les hommes, it was back in 1985 that Bernard Hinault won it. Julian Alaphilippe came close though, in 2019—he was leading with a few days to go. Egan Bernal eventually took it, with the French rider finishing 5th overall.