Tiesj Benoot sees Tour podium chance for Paul Seixas but warns France against the hype

Few riders are better placed than Tiesj Benoot to understand what Paul Seixas is about to face.

Benoot spent four seasons at Jumbo-Visma and Visma | Lease a Bike, where he became an important support rider for Jonas Vingegaard. Now at Decathlon CMA CGM, he is preparing to guide another gifted climber through the Tour de France, although Seixas will arrive with far more questions surrounding him.

“When I joined Visma in 2022, Jonas had not won the Tour yet, but he had already finished second,” Benoot told HLN. “He had a much clearer idea of where he stood. With Paul, everything is still one big question mark.”

That uncertainty has done little to contain expectations in France. Seixas has progressed faster than Decathlon CMA CGM anticipated, turning what was initially viewed as a long term project into an immediate Tour de France story.

The team had discussed 2028 as a realistic point at which Seixas might begin targeting the race. His development has pushed that schedule forward by two years.

Benoot has seen enough in training to understand why.

“What that kid can do is remarkable,” he said. “I do not compare myself with a rider like Paul in training, just as I never did with Jonas. Those guys have so much more talent and are different types of riders. It would be stupid to measure myself against them. It would have the opposite effect.”

Benoot’s own place at the Tour appeared uncertain for much of the spring. He underwent surgery for a herniated disc in February and only made his Decathlon CMA CGM debut at the Tour de Suisse.

His return was encouraging. After months without racing, the 32-year-old immediately showed that much of his climbing level had returned. His performances in Switzerland strengthened his chances of being selected for what would be his tenth Tour de France.

Benoot has ridden the race in each of the past nine editions. That experience could be particularly valuable around Seixas, whose Tour debut will also be his first Grand Tour.

The Belgian’s rehabilitation was deliberately cautious. His earliest rides lasted only a matter of minutes, while normal training had to wait until his back could tolerate the workload. By May, however, he was able to complete almost 110 hours on the bike before spending several weeks at altitude in the Sierra Nevada.

“I have basically done everything you need to do in preparation for the Tour,” he said.

The Tour de Suisse was therefore less an audition than a final test. Benoot did not feel he needed to prove his career credentials, but he did need to show that his body was ready for three weeks of racing.

Benoot believes Seixas can achieve an exceptional result this summer. He also wants the distinction between possibility and expectation to remain clear.

The Frenchman raised hopes by following Tadej Pogačar on La Redoute during Liège-Bastogne-Liège. To Benoot, that performance demonstrated Seixas’s potential, but not that he should already be treated as one of the leading contenders for the yellow jersey.

“I think people in France sometimes forget that Pogačar simply rode away from Paul at Liège-Bastogne-Liège,” Benoot said. “It is hugely encouraging that a 19-year-old can follow Pogačar on La Redoute, but he is absolutely not a top favourite for the Tour.”

Benoot considers a top five finish possible. He does not rule out the podium either. What concerns him is the risk that those outcomes become demands rather than ambitions.

“I believe he can finish in the top five, or even on the podium, but it has to be without pressure,” Benoot said. “Let him enjoy it. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him to have a long career.”

Seixas’s recent crash and withdrawal from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes briefly interrupted his preparation. Benoot said there was little anxiety within the team and suggested the setback may even have reduced some of the noise surrounding him.

A dominant victory in his final preparation race would only have intensified the attention before the Tour. Instead, Seixas can arrive with a reminder that his development will not always follow a straight line.

For Decathlon CMA CGM, the challenge will be to support its young leader without allowing the expectations of a cycling nation to overwhelm him.

Benoot has been impressed by the team’s progress since joining from Visma | Lease a Bike. He has noticed rapid changes in equipment, nutrition and the way rider feedback is used. In his view, the French team now has the ambition and resources required to build around a talent such as Seixas.

His own responsibility will be more immediate. Benoot knows the rhythm of the Tour, the demands placed on a leader and the pressure that grows as the race moves deeper into July.

Seixas knows none of those things yet. For Benoot, that is part of the appeal rather than a reason for concern.

“He is a special rider and nobody knows where his limits are,” he said. “He does not know either. That is the beauty of it.”