French Revolution: Seixas enchants the Grande Nation

Tom Bachmann, dpa

In the end, even Monsieur le Président is said to have picked up the phone. After all, nothing can go wrong in this delicate matter of at least national importance. Emmanuel Macron allegedly rang Paul Seixas and pleaded with the professional cyclist to stay with his current team. After all, as a Frenchman, you're in the best hands with the country's biggest team.

Seixas is only 19 years old, mind you. Macron's call, which was never officially confirmed, is a marvellous illustration of how much they are going a bit crazy in France at the moment. In a nice way, of course. Because the Grande Nation has probably never seen anyone like Seixas before. He is either labelled as the chosen one or a phenomenon. He is expected to bring the country nothing less than its first Tour de France victory since 1985.

Even Hinault raves

Bernard Hinault won back then. The opinionated Breton is a national hero and is not exactly squeamish with his heirs on the bike. But then came Seixas. "It can't be a coincidence that you ride so well and consistently at this level. Hats off, really hats off," said Hinault. The victory statistics of the Lyon-born Seixas, whose unusual surname stems from his father's Portuguese roots, are still quite clear. Winning the semi-classic Flèche Wallonne last Wednesday stands out.

It's more the two second places that are delighting France. Seixas was the only rider who could keep up with Tadej Pogacar in both the Strade Bianche at the beginning of March and the tough Ardennes classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège. On Sunday in Liège, the most complete professional in history alongside Eddy Merckx only shook off Seixas, eight years his junior, on the final climb. "He's going to be a monster," said Pogacar.

And this is where things could get tricky for the relationship between Seixas and France. Because Pogacar's team UAE would like to sign the wonder boy - as would the German team Red Bull, by the way. Money has never been a problem for the Sheikh's racing team; team boss Mauro Gianetti is said to have already held talks with Seixas, who is tied up until 2027, and his entourage. The salary demands are said to amount to eight million euros - only Pogacar earns that much.

Tour or Giro?

Seixas' Team Decathlon is not exactly short of money either. And President Macron is said to have assured the team of his full support when it comes to Seixas. Macron has already intervened once with one of the country's sports stars. When Kylian Mbappé wanted to leave for Real Madrid in 2022, Macron asked the striker to stay in France. The transfer only took place two years later.

Seixas should also stay with Decathlon until at least 2027. In that time, he needs to put together a team that can help him win the Tour. "That's my big dream," said Seixas. Alexandre Roos, head of cycling at the sports daily "L'Équipe", emphasised just how good he already is: "He is a pioneer of the French revolution. Paul Seixas is the most advanced model in cycling, a more mature version of Tadej Pogacar. He wasn't even a professional at that age and was still eating pizza."

Seixas wants to reveal in the coming days whether he will ride the tour this year. One of them is against it. "I'm not convinced," said Hinault. "If I were him, I would ride the Giro d'Italia first to get a feel for a three-week race." Seixas is not yet ready for a duel with Pogacar at the Tour. Especially because the Slovenian can set the record of five overall victories this year.

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