The youngest, oldest, tallest and shortest rider at the 2026 Tour de France

Paul Seixas is set to become the youngest rider on the start line of the 2026 Tour de France. He will be 19 years and 283 days old when the peloton rolls out of Barcelona on Saturday, 4 July.

Born in Lyon on 24 September 2006, Seixas will also be the youngest rider to start the Tour since 1937. At 1.86 metres and 64 kilograms, he has the build of a modern climber and arrives with expectations rarely placed on a rider of his age.

His 2026 season has already been historic. In his first year as a professional, Seixas dominated Itzulia Basque Country, winning three stages and the overall classification. He then powered up the Mur de Huy to win La Flèche Wallonne on his debut, while finishing second to Tadej Pogačar at both Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

A crash at the recent Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has complicated his preparation, making his recovery the central concern in the weeks leading into July. Decathlon CMA CGM is nevertheless expected to give Seixas a prominent role, with the French prodigy openly targeting a strong general classification result on his Tour debut.

Damiano Caruso will be the oldest rider on the start line of the 2026 Tour de France. The Italian will be 38 years and 265 days old when the race begins and is preparing for what is expected to be his final appearance at the Tour.

Caruso recently announced that he will move into a Sports Director role with Bahrain Victorious at the end of the season, giving his final campaign the feel of a farewell tour. After finishing ninth overall at the Giro d’Italia in May, he arrives in July with one clear objective.

A Tour de France stage win is the major prize still missing from his palmarès. Victory would complete a rare career set, with stage wins at all three Grand Tours, and provide a fitting conclusion to nearly two decades in the professional peloton.

Daan Hoole will be the tallest rider on the start line of the 2026 Tour de France. The 27-year-old Dutchman, who joined Decathlon CMA CGM from Lidl-Trek ahead of the season, stands 1.98 metres tall, or 6 ft 6 in, and weighs 84 kilograms.

The time trial specialist claimed the biggest victory of his career at the 2025 Giro d’Italia, powering to his first Grand Tour stage win in the Stage 10 individual time trial. Hoole narrowly beat Joshua Tarling after producing a commanding ride against the clock.

Making his second Tour de France appearance, Hoole is expected to play an important supporting role. His strength will be particularly valuable during the team time trial, on flatter stages and when guiding the team’s leaders through crucial positioning battles.

He forms part of a powerful Decathlon CMA CGM selection alongside Paul Seixas, Olav Kooij, Matthew Riccitello, Tiesj Benoot, Nicolas Prodhomme, Aurélien Paret Peintre and Cees Bol.

Clément Braz Afonso will be the shortest rider on the start line of the 2026 Tour de France. The 26-year-old Frenchman stands 1.63 metres tall, or 5 ft 4 in, and weighs 50 kilograms.

The Groupama-FDJ United climber arrives in Barcelona following an aggressive start to the season. He was regularly involved in breakaways before winning the mountains classification at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in June, the biggest achievement of his professional career so far.

Braz Afonso made his Grand Tour debut at the 2025 Vuelta a España, where he gained valuable experience and recorded a fifth place on one of the stages. Making his Tour de France debut, he is expected to support the team’s leaders in the mountains while also looking for opportunities to join breakaways on hilly and mountainous stages.