Paul Seixas compared to Hinault as Tour de France expectations rise - 'He is the chosen one'

“I think what happened on Saturday is that everyone truly felt we had witnessed something exceptional and historic,” Pineau said. He insisted it was not simply the excitement of a home race win, but the sense that Seixas had finally been tested in the way top prospects eventually are, with expectations attached and a credible field in front of them.

“It was the first time we were really waiting to see what he would do compared to what we call ‘the others’, meaning riders other than Pogacar, Evenepoel and Vingegaard,” Pineau continued, pointing to a start list that included proven winners and established names. For Pineau, It didn’t leave much space for scepticism or the familiar caveats about the field and the conditions.

What made the result jarring was the manner of it. Seixas accelerated in the finale, dropped rivals one by one, and rode to the line with close to two minutes over Jan Christen, Lenny Martinez and Matteo Jorgenson. Pineau did not choose delicate language. “There was a very strong start list, and he humiliated them. He humiliated them,” he said.

“He attacked like Tadej Pogacar. He explained his race plan clearly and then executed it. The others had no chance, they just pulled over one after the other,” Pineau added. 

For Pineau, it was the latest sign that Seixas is not just another promising French talent, but a rider already imposing himself in a way the country has barely seen in the modern era.

“Since Bernard Hinault, no French rider has dominated the sport the way Paul Seixas is starting to do. Especially at his age,” he said, before turning to what comes next: the weight of expectation. “You can feel that he is mentally strong, he has a very solid team, he knows what he wants and he handles pressure extremely well. It just rolls off him,” Pineau added, then made his benchmark clear. “Very quickly, of course, we will expect Paul Seixas to be a contender for the podium and then for victory at the Tour de France. That is obvious.”

The chorus of praise extends beyond Pineau. Marc Madiot has gone even further, placing Seixas straight into the sport’s inner circle. Speaking to RMC Sport recently, he did not hesitate when asked where Seixas stands today.

“For me, he is already among the top five or six riders in the world,” Madiot said. He then reeled off the names he believes define the current pecking order: “Tadej Pogacar, Isaac Del Toro, Jonas Vingegaard, Paul Seixas, Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel. In the peloton, you can sense the hierarchy. And he has already shown he belongs in it.”

For the former Groupama FDJ-United manager, the impression goes beyond results. He sees a quality that cannot easily be taught. 

“Seixas has something others simply do not have, or that only a few riders possess, like Pogacar,” he said, reaching outside cycling for a comparison. “When Messi started playing football, you could already see he had something different. With Seixas, right now, we do not see any weaknesses. He has the complete package.”

Madiot did not shy away from the weight of expectation that comes with such praise. “I think he is the chosen one,” Madiot said. “He is the rider France expects to win the Tour.”