Paul Seixas leaves Tour door open as he looks to strike early in 2026

It has not been postcard training camp at Sierra Nevada. An icy blizzard hit the Spanish ski resort above 2,300 metres and left the roads close to unusable, which meant more time indoors at the Spanish high performance centre than he would have liked. “One day out of two we have to train indoors. It’s not easy, and you don’t get the real sensations of riding,” Seixas told Eurosport.

At 19, Seixas is already the face of Decathlon CMA CGM, and that role comes with its own routine of absence. “It’s been two months since I’ve seen my parents or my girlfriend. But you know why you do it, these are sacrifices you make for performance,” he said. “When you come back down, you really feel the difference.”

His 2026 spring schedule has been mapped out with his input.Seixas asked the team for several draft versions before locking in an altitude camp ahead of the Volta ao Algarve. From there, he will mix stage races with one-day targets, including Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and he has also circled the Tour of the Basque Country for its time trial test. Beyond April, the calendar is left open on purpose.

The ambition for now is simple. He wants to win, and he does not want to wait too long for it. A European Championship bronze medal last autumn, behind Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, only sharpened his belief. 

“Obviously, when you manage to follow those guys once, even if it’s just once, it gives you a lot of confidence,” he said. “Being much younger than them, I tell myself that if I was able to follow them at the end of last season, it means that if I keep progressing, I’ll be able to close that gap.”

Seixas has already glanced at the start lists and seen what he is up against. “You look at the start lists for the next races, and there are only very strong riders,” he said. “But I’m going to give everything to be able to raise my arms as early as possible, whether that’s in Algarve or in Ardèche.” 

He is careful with the language, but the intent is clear. “Winning is not an obsession, but a very strong desire,” he said. “I believe in myself, I feel like I’m improving.”

Seixas’ possible participation at the Tour de France is the question on everyone’s lips, but the youngster has been playing a straight bat so far. “It would obviously be a dream, but it’s not my objective this year,” he said.

For all the talk of progress and preparation, Seixas keeps returning to the same point. “What I love is winning races. But even if I manage to achieve my dreams, that won’t stop me,” he said. “When I was a kid, my dream was to become French champion, and I did it. It just makes me want to push myself harder in training to succeed in races.”