![\"bernard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bernard-hinault-654e3b5674d4a.jpg@webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Rather than rushing into the sport\u2019s biggest race, Hinault believes Seixas would benefit from testing himself elsewhere first. \u201cEveryone says he should ride the Tour\u2026 I\u2019m not convinced. If I were in his position, I would go and test myself in other races: at the Giro d\u2019Italia, I would find myself up against Vingegaard and that would give me an idea of my ability to last twenty-three days of racing.\u201d<\/p>\n
That focus on duration is central to his argument. \u201cBecause the only doubt we can have is about those twenty-three days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seixas has already shown across this spring, including his performances against Pogacar and his breakthrough at Fl\u00e8che Wallonne, that he can match the very best over shorter efforts. The uncertainty, in Hinault\u2019s eyes, lies in whether that level can be sustained across a full Grand Tour.<\/p>\n
The Pogacar reality over three weeks<\/p>\n
That challenge becomes even sharper when viewed through the lens of a Tour de France likely to be shaped by Pogacar. \u201cAnd then to find yourself up against Pogacar for twenty-three days\u2026 he won\u2019t give anything away. When you know his ability and his desire to win, and especially this year, with the aim of equalling the record of five Tours, you have to be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a warning grounded in context. Pogacar has already defined the 2026 season across multiple terrains and arrives at Li\u00e8ge as the clear benchmark once again.<\/p>\n
For Seixas, Sunday offers another opportunity to measure himself against that level in a one-day setting. The Tour, as Hinault frames it, is an entirely different test.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hinault is still the last French male to win the Tour de France<\/p>\n
Fearless approach remains a strength<\/p>\n
Despite his caution, Hinault also pointed to a mindset that could ultimately allow Seixas to reach that level.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on his own approach when facing Eddy Merckx, he sees similarities in the young Frenchman. \u201cWhen I arrived at the start, I told myself: \u2018He is like me. He is made of the same material, he has two legs, two arms, a head, and he uses them. I will do the same as him.\u2019 And I think Paul has a bit of that. He does not say to himself: \u2018The other one is stronger than me.\u2019 He wants to fight him, and he will do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mentality has already been visible throughout the spring, where Seixas has not hesitated to take on the sport\u2019s biggest names.<\/p>\n
Li\u00e8ge as the immediate reference point<\/p>\n
For now, the focus remains on Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge, where Seixas will again go head-to-head with Pogacar and the sport\u2019s leading names in a one-day Monument setting. It is the kind of environment where he has already proven he belongs.<\/p>\n
The Tour de France, as Hinault makes clear, is not about belonging. It is about sustaining that level for three weeks against the most complete rider in the sport. And in his view, that step may come too soon.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rather than rushing into the sport\u2019s biggest race, Hinault believes Seixas would benefit from testing himself elsewhere…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628746,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[163819,49,48,635,141519,82,1422,636],"class_list":["post-628745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-bernard-hinault","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-paul-seixas","tag-sports","tag-tadej-pogacar","tag-tour-de-france"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}