The hugely talented young French star Paul Seixas has flung down the gauntlet for the fast-upcoming Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and announced that he will be 'looking for victory'.
Eighth overall in the same eight-day race last year, Seixas, 19, has not raced since Liège-Bastogne-Liége, where he was second behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes will begin his final competitive countdown towards his widely anticipated debut in the Tour de France.
But if last year's result promised a lot for the future, despite not yet being in his twenties, in 2026 Seixas has already begun to fulfil expectations with stunning performances this spring.
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Prior to winning in Belgian WorldTour Classic La Flèche Wallonne, Seixas has shone brightly on the stage racing front with a crushing victory in Itzulia Basque Country, which he described at the time as 'insane'. That knock-out domination, which included three stage victories and triumphs in all the minor classifications (points, mountains, BYR), further cemented his status as a standout favourite for the upcoming French stage race, which starts Sunday.
"I'm going into this race with a lot of ambition after three weeks at altitude," Seixas said in a social media post.
"This week will be important for me because that way I'll be able to compare my sensations, particularly in terms of recovery, compared with last year, when I finished eighth."
Formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is traditionally seen as the key dress rehearsal race for the Tour de France, often using routes or climbs that then reappear in the Grand Tour a month later. Given his status as the number one French candidate for the upcoming Tour de France, as well as being born in Lyon, the biggest city in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes area, both local and national interest in how Seixas could perform this June, then, will be intense.
A top result would, logically, also heighten speculation about how he could perform in July, too, particularly when facing rivals of the calibre of Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) and UAE Team Emirates-XRG duo João Almeida and Isaac del Toro.
"Riding on my home region roads that I know very well, I'm going to aim for victory," Seixas stated categorically, "plus we want to increase our knowledge of the reference points for the Tour de France, which the entire team has had in place since the beginning of the year."
Decathlon CGA CMM also revealed their line-up for the eight-day race, which starts on Sunday with a very mountainous 146.2-kilometre stage between Vizille and Saint-Ismier.
Their seven-rider team includes US climber Matthew Riccitello, winner of the Tour de la Provence this spring and the Tour du Jura in April in a breakthrough year for the young American, who was also part of the support team for Seixas in April in Itzulia Basque Country.
Decathlon CMA CGM Team for the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- Léo Bisiaux (FRA)
- Stefan Bissegger (SWI)
- Daan Hoole (NED)
- Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA)
- Nicolas Prodhomme (FRA)
- Matthew Riccitello (USA)
- Paul Seixas (FRA)
