Although we suspected it, it nonetheless does one thing to be taught it. After months of countless debate, the French biking prodigy Paul Seixas formalized this Monday morning its participation within the Tour de France 2026 subsequent summer time. The younger chief of the Decathlon CMA-CGM crew will thus turn out to be, at 19 years previous, the youngest runner to begin the Grande Boucle in 89 years.
The rider confirmed that he would begin the Tour on July 4 in Barcelona in a clip posted on social networks by his Decathlon CMA CGM crew. “I’ve one thing to let you know…”, right here is the brief message written on social networks by his crew to current the brief video by which Seixas seems alongside his grandparents to make the announcement that every one of France was impatiently awaiting.
Grandpa, grandma, the cat and the Tour
Filmed at his grandparents’ residence in Haute-Savoie, Seixas explains that he got here to “announce one thing particular to them, which is that, subsequent July, I’ll nonetheless have a race”. “The Tour de France? », asks his grandmother. “Yeah,” replies the younger Lyonnais, set to as soon as once more mark the historical past of his sport together with his precocity.
When the Tour de France begins from Barcelona on July 4, he will probably be 19 years, 9 months and 10 days previous and can subsequently turn out to be the youngest participant within the Grande Boucle since 1937 and the Frenchman Adrien Cento who began on the age of 19 years, 3 months and 26 days. The choice was eagerly awaited after the distinctive begin to the season for the French phenomenon, winner already seven instances in 2026 in solely his second 12 months amongst professionals.
Olympic type this season
Winner of a stage on the Tour of the Algarve (2nd total), he adopted up with a victorious solo raid on the Basic Ardèche and a second place on the Strade Bianche behind Tadej Pogacar. Earlier than bursting into full mild with his success at the Tour of the Basque Countrytopped with three stage victories, then on the Flèche wallonne and eventually a second place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on April 26 the place he was the one one capable of comply with, for a time, Pogacar.
His crew had given itself till the tip of the spring classics to determine on its participation within the Tour. The sensational outcomes of the gifted man rapidly argued in favor of an incursion this summer time. Nevertheless, beginning the three-week races straight with the Tour de France, the place media strain is most, is something however trivial in a sport the place we have a tendency to enhance with age, particularly when it comes to endurance. However Paul Seixas is made of various wooden and, clearly, he has no time to lose.
