Pinarello-Q36.5 reportedly ready to offer Paul Seixas the biggest contract in cycling history
Pinarello-Q36.5 has joined the race to sign Paul Seixas and is reportedly willing to make the Frenchman the highest-paid rider in professional cycling.
The Swiss team has contacted Seixas’ representatives about a possible move when his contract with Decathlon CMA CGM expires at the end of 2027. Daniel Benson first reported the approach, which was confirmed by the rider’s agent to Benson.
Pinarello-Q36.5 is backed by billionaire Ivan Glasenberg, whose investment helped the team sign Tom Pidcock ahead of the 2025 season. A move for Seixas would represent an even stronger statement of the team’s long-term ambitions.
According to Benson, Pinarello-Q36.5 is considering an annual salary of around €13 million. That would place Seixas ahead of Tadej Pogačar, whose basic salary at UAE Team Emirates XRG is widely estimated at between €8 million and €10 million, excluding bonuses.
No contract has been signed, and there is no suggestion that Seixas has made a decision. The size of the reported offer, however, underlines how highly the 19-year-old is already valued across the peloton.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Visma | Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek, and Netcompany-Ineos have all been linked with the Frenchman, while Decathlon is also expected to make every effort to keep a rider who has come through its own system.
Seixas has become one of the most sought after riders in the peloton following his rapid rise through Decathlon’s development programme. He stepped up to WorldTour level last season and has continued to impress in 2026.
His results this year include victories at the Faun Ardèche Classic, the Tour of the Basque Country and La Flèche Wallonne. He also finished second at Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, making a particularly strong impression in Belgium by staying with Pogačar on La Redoute.
Those results have raised hopes across France that Seixas could emerge as the country’s long awaited successor to Bernard Hinault, the last French rider to win the Tour de France in 1985.
Seixas is set to make his Tour debut in Barcelona on July 4, despite being forced to abandon the final stage of the Tour-Auvergne-Rhône Alpes following a crash the previous day.
The Frenchman recently returned to outdoor training after suffering injuries in the crash. Medical checks revealed no serious damage, allowing Seixas to gradually increase his workload alongside his teammates.
Decathlon has delayed confirming its Tour de France lineup though, while completing medical and fitness assessments on several riders.
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