Paul Seixas reminds Decathlon he holds all the cards in contract talks

Nothing happens by chance in the Paul Seixas cinematic universe. The youngster’s rapid adaptation to life in the WorldTour is not the only thing he has in common with Remco Evenepoel. He also shares the Belgian’s preternatural media savvy. 

Despite his tender years, Seixas has always seemed utterly at ease in front of a microphone, and he always knows precisely how to get his message across. He also picks and chooses his moments with some consideration.

In the days leading up to Il Lombardia, for instance, Seixas opted against making any concessions to the travelling French press, L’Équipe included, preferring to limit his media availability to a few grabs in the mixed zone at the team presentation on the eve of the race.

After soloing to victory in Como the following day, Seixas delivered a long, relaxed and freewheeling press conference in English, but he was still careful to avoid wading too deeply into questions regarding his future, with his existing contract with Decathlon CMA CGM set to expire at the end of 2027.

Seixas was more forthcoming on the topic on Monday, however, when he made a half-hour appearance on RMC Sport’s ‘Super Moscato’ show, hosted by former rugby player Vincent Moscato. RMC is owned by the media arm of the CMA CGM group, and so Seixas’ appearance would have come with the blessing – and perhaps the active encouragement – of his team’s press department.

But despite the platform, Seixas was in little mood to pander to his paymasters. When conversation turned to his future, he politely but firmly reiterated the stance that he and his agent Joona Laukka have articulated since the spring. After signing a three-year deal with Decathlon ahead of the 2025 season, Seixas is in no hurry to make his next long-term commitment just yet. 

“For the moment, I haven’t made a decision because, right up until now – throughout my entire young career, let’s say – I’ve spent my time chasing contracts,” Seixas said. “People were always telling me, ‘As soon as you put in a good performance, you’ve got to sign, you’ve got to sign, you’ve got to sign.’ 

“When I signed that contract two years ago, I said, ‘I promise that with this contract, I won’t rush into signing because it’s getting on my nerves.’”

Since at least early this year, Decathlon CMA CGM general manager Dominique Serieys has been trying to tie Seixas to a new long-term deal with the team. As things stand, Seixas, still on his neo-pro contract, is underpaid relative to his performances and his potential. Signing a new deal with Decathlon would give him an immediate and hefty pay increase. 

Seixas, however, is smart enough to know that he holds all the leverage in this negotiation and patient enough to wait it out and see how things develop. Much as North American sports stars do in situations like this, Seixas looks happy to test the market rather than sign up prematurely. Reported suitors include Team Visma | Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Netcompany-Ineos and, well, any team with the requisite funds.

Indeed, as the clock ticks down on his contract with Decathlon, Seixas’ situation is beginning to put one in mind of LeBron James in 2010, when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time by way of a television special entitled The Decision.

As was the case with James, money isn’t really the sticking point here, but ambition. The arrival of CMA CGM as co-sponsor saw Decathlon join the group of so-called ‘super teams’ with a hefty increase in budget, and the team would likely be able to match any offers Seixas receives from elsewhere. 

There are certainly business reasons for the sponsors to get a new deal over the line. Decathlon, for instance, knows that tying Seixas to a long-term deal would see just about every kid and wannabe weekend warrior in France spring for a Van Rysel bike for the foreseeable future.

But ultimately, this will be largely a sporting decision for Seixas, who holds all the cards in this saga. As things stand, Decathlon CMA CGM are straining to show their star rider that they can match his ambitions, that he can win the Tour de France in this set-up. 

A year ago, Decathlon flexed their super-team credentials by making Olav Kooij the best-paid sprinter in the peloton. Their 2027 transfer activity, by contrast, has tellingly focused on building around Seixas. 

Ben O’Connor, Pavel Sivakov and Laurens De Plus have all been signed to his supporting cast, and the squad issued a further vote of confidence in their young leader by allowing Felix Gall to leave for Lidl-Trek despite finishing on the podium of two Grand Tours this season.

Not that Seixas has appeared in any way hamstrung by his team to this point. He has already placed fourth overall at his debut Tour de France in their colours, and he has scored wins at Il Lombardia, Itzulia Basque Country and Flèche Wallonne. The partnership has been a fruitful one thus far, and there’s no reason to believe Seixas wouldn’t continue to thrive with the team.

But the 20-year-old still gives the impression that he is waiting to see how things pan out at Decathlon. The onus is on the team to show Seixas what it can do rather than vice-versa. 

“When you look at how the Decathlon CMA CGM team has developed over the past year, a year ago we weren’t talking about the same team at all, and today we already have a much better idea of what it’s becoming,” Seixas said on Monday. “That’s why it’s interesting not to see things so clearly right away.”

Although Seixas insisted he wasn’t calling all the shots at Decathlon, he stressed that he should have a significant say in the team’s direction of travel.

“I think there are people in the team who are capable, who do their jobs very well and who know what they’re doing. That’s why I’m not here to redo everything my way,” he said. 

“But it’s good that I talk to them about things that are missing. I’ve spoken to other riders about it; we’re all in agreement, but I don’t think I’m going to do things my own way. I’m going to do things in consultation with my teammates. I know I have a say in the team, but that also allows me to speak on behalf of the whole team.”

It seems the pressure is all on Serieys, who took over as general manager when team founder Vincent Lavenu was squeezed out in 2024. Seixas, who raced in the team’s junior set-up, had already committed to turning pro with Decathlon by that point, and so failing to secure Seixas beyond that initial contract would risk defining Serieys’ tenure. 

For now, at least, Seixas is doing nothing to put Serieys’ mind at ease. There were obvious question marks about the wisdom of sending a 19-year-old to the Tour for his Grand Tour debut, but once Seixas made clear that he was keen, the team was in no real position to say no. 

After Seixas’ fine Tour debut, Decathlon CMA CGM will feel the experiment was a successful one and they will expect their main man to lead the line again next July. So too will organiser ASO, who designed a route that will surely appeal to Seixas.

But in that ‘Super Moscato’ interview, Seixas showed an apparent willingness to play hardball. His main objective in 2027, he insisted, would be the World Championships in the Haute-Savoie. With the Worlds taking place a month earlier than this year – the elite men’s road race is on August 29 – Seixas indicated that he was unsure if the Tour would make for the best preparation. “Whatever Grand Tour I take part in, I’ll have high ambitions for it,” he said. 

Although Seixas stressed that the final decision would be taken in consultation with his trainer, his willingness to consider riding the Giro d’Italia felt like an implicit message to Serieys and Decathlon CMA CGM about who calls the shots. 

Seixas’ future is in his own hands, and Monday’s interview was a very public reminder of that fact.