'The chosen one' – Paul Seixas sends France into frenzy ahead of first prodigy vs master duel of 2026 with Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche

After Paul Seixas triumphed on the Queen stage of the Volta ao Algarve ahead of João Almeida and Juan Ayuso, "Seixas-mania" may have been picking up momentum, but not enough to knock a story on Olympique de Marseille off the front page of L'Equipe, such is the domination of football.

But with a Pogačar-esque performance on home soil at the Faun-Ardèche Classic on Saturday, he couldn't be ignored, and it was time for the iconic French sports magazine to go all in: "Seixas masterclass" is how Sunday's front page read.

The mania that Le Parisien had described had now "swept the nation" after his crushing domination of a stacked field, equalling a climbing record set by Pogačar at the European Championships on the Saint-Romain-de-Lerps (6.8 km at 7.3%) en route to a memorable solo strike.

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Long-standing French team manager Marc Madiot described him as "the chosen one" on French radio after the feat, referring, of course, to France's well-known 41-year drought at the Tour de France, with Bernard Hinault winning their last men's yellow jersey in 1985.

Speaking on Les Grandes Gueules du Sport on RMC Radio, the Groupama-FDJ United team boss offered up his shining assessment of Seixas, who, it's important to note, is a rival Frenchman on a rival team to his own.

"For me, he's already in the top 5 or 6 in the world. We have Tadej Pogačar, Isaac Del Toro, Jonas Vingegaard, Paul Seixas, Mathieu Van der Poel, and Remco Evenepoel. In the peloton, we have this ability to sense the balance of power. And he's already demonstrated that balance of power," said Madiot.

"Everything is faster today, that's true for all sports, so it's perfectly logical that at 19 or 20 years old, we're at physical levels that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Seixas has something that others don't have, or that few have, like Pogačar. Messi also already had something that others didn't have when he started kicking a ball. For now, we don't see any weaknesses in Seixas. He has everything in his repertoire.

"We expect him to win the Tour and be able to lead the peloton. For that, he needs exceptional physical attributes and outstanding qualities in terms of race strategy and positioning. He has everything right now. He will inevitably have to work on certain areas, but the foundation for success is there. There are no weaknesses."

'The chosen one'

This lack of weaknesses is best shown in his versatility across the performance on Saturday. Aside from his obvious power to ride away from the likes of Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Seixas' matching of Pogačar's uphill record wasn't as impressive as how he went down the other side.

Reportedly descending the Saint-Romain-de-Lerps 16 seconds faster than Pogačar did at Euro's, the Frenchman also went down two seconds quicker than the peloton's daredevil descender, Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious).

But the climb was quite stunning, knocking 34 seconds off the time he managed at Euros back in Autumn, when only Pogačar and Evenepoel were stronger. With more muscle and much more room to grow, the tools all appear to be there, as Madiot points out, and he also has the time trial to back it up as an overall rider.

"I think he's the chosen one. He will be the rider expected by France to win the Tour. And also the rider of old Europe. Pogačar is Slovenian; he's in a way an alien who comes from another world," said Madiot. "In cycling, we are rooted in history, with the Italians, the Belgians, the Spanish… Seixas is, in this sense, the Messiah; he is expected."

The chosen one, though he may well be, Seixas has the hardest test of his season so far incoming this weekend at Strade Bianche, where it could turn into the prodigy against the master, as the man he's constantly being compared to, Pogačar, kicks off his 2026 season.

While France understandably goes Seixas-mad in the wake of his climbing performance, the 19-year-old was well aware of the next test that awaits him in Tuscany.

"I was kind of thinking that if I could do this today, I could already start preparing for next week," he said. "Obviously, it will be completely different; Pogačar will be there, along with other very strong riders, perhaps a little bit better. The Strade Bianche is always full of surprises, we'll see, but I'm in good form, all that's missing is a bit of luck."

Seixas has a background in cyclo-cross and has shown all the power to go uphill and nous to manage the downhill gravel sectors, but crashes, punctures and positioning all play a vital role in the madness of Strade, so he will have his work cut out for sure.

At 20, the Slovenian finished 30th at Strade in 2019, and it took him three more tries to score his first victory there, so expecting too much of Seixas on debut could result in his result looking disappointing. But he is improving at a rapid rate and seemingly edging closer to his full potential at every opportunity he has.

There's an awful lot to get excited about when it comes to Paul Seixas. A Tour de France debut is looking very possible, but his next four races are all against Pogačar and will provide a real look at where he stands against the current standard. Watch this space… It's certain that all of France will be with fingers crossed for more.

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