'I have something to tell you…' Paul Seixas confirms he will ride the 2026 Tour de France

Paul Seixas and his Decathlon CMA CGM team have confirmed that he will race this year's Tour de France.

The 19-year-old Frenchman announced his decision in a social media video of the moment he told his grandparents the news.

Seixas is expected to try to challenge Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard on his Grand Tour debut.

I'm here to share some exciting news," Seixas told his grandparents during a visit to their home in the Haute Savoie.

"In July I'll be racing," Seixas said, teasing his grandparents.

"The Tour de France? Oh!" his grandmother said.

"You thought of me, I'm not getting any younger," his grandfather added, "I'm 85. The years are catching-up. I'm the happiest man in the world."

Seixas is expected to try to challenge Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard on his Grand Tour debut. He made it clear he is not riding the 2026 Tour for experience.

“I am truly delighted to announce that I will be participating in the next Tour de France. It’s been my childhood dream, something I’ve often imagined, and now it’s very close," Sixas said via his Decathlon CMA CGM team.

"I’m only 19, but as I’ve already said, age is neither a hindrance nor an excuse. This decision, made in consultation with the team management, was carefully considered and developed collectively over the past few days. My results since the start of the season have given me a lot of confidence; I feel ready and I will have ambitious goals.

"It’s not my mindset or my vision of cycling to line up for the Tour de France simply to gain experience, and I will be aiming for the best possible overall ranking. Before that, I will also be competing in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné) in June, on roads I know very well and in a format that will serve as ideal preparation for my first Grand Tour."

The hopes and expectations are high, especially in France, but Seixas has shown his special talents, especially in recent months, by winning the Itzulia Basque Country stage race and La Flèche Wallonne. He was the only rider able to go with Pogačar's attack and finished second to the Slovenian in both Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Decathlon CMA CGM team have tried to manage the expectation around Seixas riding the Tour de France by delaying any decision until after his spring campaign. However his results and expected race programme all indicated he was ready to race for three weeks, even if he becomes one of the youngest ever Grand Tour contenders.

The team made a final decision after analyzing his recent performances and final discussions with Seixas and the team.

"We had arranged to meet after the Ardennes Classics to decide on Paul Seixas’s next steps. We needed to take the time to thoroughly analyze all the data and also discuss it with Paul and his team," team manager Dominique Serieys said.

"He has had a remarkable start to the season and is already among the best riders in the world. And the best are destined to compete in the biggest race on the calendar: the Tour de France. With great humility and a focus on learning, Paul will start in Barcelona with real ambitions to achieve the best possible result in the general classification."

Decathlon CMA CGM also revealed Seixas' race programme for the final part of 2026, with the French rider named for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, the UCI road World Championships in Montréal, Canada and then the end of season Il Lombardia.