French General Classification superstar Paul Seixas could race the Giro d’Italia next season after narrowly missing out on a Tour de France podium this year on his Grand Tour debut.
At just 19, Seixas carried the hopes of the people of France this summer, as the host nation continued its 41-year wait for a Tour champion.
Now, Seixas and his Decathlon-CMA CGM team are debating how to approach the 2027 season. A first start at the Giro d’Italia is an option on the table, potentially keeping the now 20-year-old away from the bright lights and expectations of the Tour de France.
“Certainly. Right now, anything is possible regarding next season's racing program,” Seixas said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We'll discuss it with the team and decide together what's best."
A final decision on Seixas' race programme is set to be made during a team training camp in December.
The route for the 2027 Giro d’Italia is due to be announced on Tuesday, November 3rd in Rome, with rumours of a brutal final week including the mythical climbs of the Gavia, Zoncolan and Mortirolo. The race will begin in Trieste on May 8.
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While Seixas denies any negative impact to the pressure put on him during last year’s Tour, a start at the Giro d’Italia could allow him to race with lighter shoulders.
“Those aren't things that bother me. Nor do they distract me from doing my job,” he said when asked about the pressure of being the next great hope of France.
“I'm simply happy to have embarked on this journey. I don't know where I'll end up, no one knows, but 2026 has been excellent, I'm very happy about it.”
Since closing his 2026 road season at Il Lombardia, Seixas has taken a period of rest. He appeared on the pitch of his hometown football club, Olimpique Lyonnais, being announced to the crowd during their match with OGC Nice on 18 October.
As well as considering his 2027 race programme, Seixas and his personal team will also be discussing his future, with his Decathlon-CMA CGM contract due to expire at the end of next season.
Speaking to Gazzetta, Seixas also reflected on his second professional season in which he secured 11 UCI victories, including three stages and the overall at Itzulia Basque Country, La Fleche Wallonne and his first monument win at Il Lombardia.
The centre-point, however, was the Tour de France, his first Grand Tour. Seixas finished an impressive fourth place on the General Classification, a little over two minutes away from the podium places.
“The fact that I fought for the podium until the end makes it excellent, from a sporting perspective,” he said.
“I learned a lot that will be useful to me in the future. A three-week tour... is different from everything else."
Known for his climbing abilities, Seixas has wowed with his time-trialling skills this season, finishing third at the World Championships in Montreal and fourth in the stage 16 26km test against the clock in the Tour de France.
"I'm comfortable with the time trial bike and I want to take care of it regardless, not only because it's essential to my hopes of winning the Grand Tours. I'll stick with this approach that has worked so far," he said of his focus on the discipline.
Seixas is viewed as the pretender to the throne of Tadej Pogačar, the men’s peloton’s dominant force of the 2020s.
The Frenchman spoke of his respect for the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, saying that Pogačar is the rider he most wants to emulate in his career.
“Not just because he's the best, but for his style both inside and outside the race. He's on his way to becoming the best-ever,” he said.
“His presence motivates me and everyone else to improve. Maybe one day I'll catch up to him, maybe not. But I'll keep trying anyway.”
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Dan is a freelance cycling journalist who has written for Cyclingnews since 2023 alongside other work with Cycling Weekly, Rouleur and Escape Collective. Dan focuses much of his work on professional cycling beyond its traditional European heartlands and writes a regular Substack called Global Peloton.
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