Former teenage Grand Tour star Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) is expecting 19-year-old new kid on the block Paul Seixas (Decathlon CGM CMN) to attack the race on debut at the fast-upcoming 2026 Tour de France.
Both of the younger-generation Tour riders are looking to challenge the likes of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in the race for the podium.
The Frenchman and Spaniard have raced against each other several times in 2026, with Ayuso coming out on top of a close battle at the Volta ao Algarve, Seixas winning Itzulia Basque Country where the Spaniard abandoned ill, and both then failing to beat Pogačar's teammate Isaac del Toro at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
While Pogačar and Vingegaard seem out of sight, Seixas is expected to have the potential to challenge, be that this year or in coming seasons, and Ayuso recognises that if he is the first to make a move, he will have to respond.
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"I think he's a true racer. He's not scared to go on to attack," Ayuso told reporters, including Cyclingnews, at Lidl-Trek's pre-Tour press event on Friday. "
"He has very clear ideas, and I think that's what we're going to see next month. Also, I don't think he's going to wait and see; if he has legs, he's going to try it, and we have to be there, but then also, again, I'm going to try and do my race, and I don't really think about the others."
Ayuso also knows that he is somewhat of an underdog in the GC fight, not presented as part of race organiser ASO's 'top rider press conferences' on Thursday. But that lack of spotlight could prove a big benefi as he won't have the same pressure the likes of Seixas and Pogačar face.
"I mean, I do like that they have more exposure, more pressure than me, and then I can do a bit more of my own thing, or whatever," he said, "but I don't really think about it. I just try to focus on myself."
Ayuso finished third at the Vuelta a España in 2022 when he was the same age as the Frenchman. But he's now heading into what is only his second Tour appearance, abandoning his debut in 2022 after contracting COVID-19, and the first with his new team for 2026, Lidl-Trek.
Ayuso has had a mixed bag of results during his years at UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and injury, crashes and illness have conspired to disrupt this first season he's had on the German team. But when he's been at his best, Ayuso has been one of the top one-week racers in the world, so it's no surprise to see the top three being a realistic aim.
"I think both the team and I dream of being on the podium in Paris," he said.
"We head out for that, but we know we have really big rivals ahead, and I just want to take it day by day to really enjoy the experience, and just give our best."
Flu in the build-up to the Grand Départ
The one spanner in the works to Ayuso's hopes, though, is that he was hit with another bout of flu at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, leading to more days off the bike during his recovery period.
"I started feeling really bad Saturday night, and then Sunday morning I already had a lot of headaches, so I'm really glad I could still more or less do a decent stage the last day," Ayuso explained.
"Then I had to stop for another three or four days, but to be honest, I would have also stopped if nothing had happened, because it was also a resting period, so if I had to choose a moment to get sick, it was that one.
"More or less, I have to again stay with the positives, and I think I didn't lose so much compared to if I got the flu right now."
Given the timing and how well he performed even under the duress of headaches – finishing second on the final two mountain stages behind only Del Toro – Ayuso can be confident of reaching his peak in the crucial third week. It's there, in the Alps, where he thinks the GC will be decided and his hopes of being on the podium in Paris will either come to fruition, or not.
"It's been a bit trickier than what I would have hoped for at the beginning of the year, but I think with all things considered, I'm coming here in good shape," he added.
"I had some problems with health issues after Pais Vasco when I had to abandon, and then I was quite a long time without riding. Then I got the flu in Dauphiné" - the former name of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - "and recovering from it was quite difficult.
"But these last two weeks I've been feeling quite good, so I'm happy to be here in the shape I am, and then with all things considered."
The Tour kicks off on home Spanish roads for Ayuso on Saturday, where his strong Lidl-Trek team will be one of the favourites for the team time trial victory in Barcelona, and he could make a flying start to his GC bid.
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