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Pinot heaps praise on French protégé Seixas: ‘Maybe even stronger than Pogacar at his age’

Retired French cycling star Thibaut Pinot has identified 19-year-old Frenchman Paul Seixas as an exceptional talent who could potentially surpass the early development of four-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar.

October 10 2025 - 10:15 AM

Cor Vos

Speaking to L'Équipe, Pinot was full of praise for the 19-year-old, who leapt to WorldTour level in 2025 and has already delivered a string of standout performances, including a bronze medal at the European Championships behind Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar.

"What Paul is doing is quite exceptional," said Pinot. "He's maybe even stronger than Pogačar at his age. I've been watching him for a while now."

"It's true that in his first season, [Pogacar] finished third in the Vuelta and won three stages, but he was also two years older than Seixas. It almost shows that Seixas is ahead of schedule,"

The comparison to Pogačar is particularly striking given the Slovenian's meteoric rise to becoming a four-time Tour de France winner. Pogačar won his first Tour de France at just 21 years old in 2020 and has since established himself as one of cycling's dominant forces alongside Jonas Vingegaard.

There is also a weight of expectation on Seixas’s shoulders, as French cycling continues to search for its next major Tour contender. Pinot’s own career was hampered by injuries despite showing immense promise. His third-place finish in the 2014 Tour remains the last time a French rider stood on the final podium in Paris. France has been waiting for a Tour de France winner since Bernard Hinault’s victory in 1985.

"I think they [Decathlon-AG2R] will throw him into the deep end quickly, next year, at the Tour de France," said Pinot. Decathlon AG2R, who have already clarified their lofty ambitions for the French team, had increased their budget from 30 million to 40 million Euros, as shipping giant CMA CGM came onboard as a sponsor, with their aim to become a cycling superpower, competing for Grand Tour victories, similar to UAE Team Emirates–XRG and Visma | Lease a BIke.

For Seixas, the challenge now is to build on his rapid rise while managing the pressure that comes with being compared to riders who have already conquered Grand Tours and World Championships.