There is that moment in every season when it becomes clear who will be at the front in the next decade. In 2026, it was the redoubt. Tadej Pogačar attacks, the field breaks up and one rider goes with him. Not just any rider. A 19-year-old in the Decathlon CMA CGM jersey. Paul Seixas follows the world champion for several minutes, only breaks away on the final climb and finishes Liège-Bastogne-Liège on a par with the absolute world leaders.
Pogačar himself said in the press conference after the race that he was not surprised, but rather impressed by how good he is. He had never seen anyone stronger. In professional cycling, such statements are rarely so clear.
The song that sets the mood
While the sports press is writing about contract durations and market values, a German musician called Killow - real name Kilian, from Trier, passionate Decathlon fan - has simply said what many are thinking. He picked up an acoustic guitar and wrote a song. Title: Paul Seixas, Please Don't Sign For UAE.
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The lines are as charming as they are blatant:
"Do you want to spend your winters riding zone 2 in the desert?" "And how lame would it have been if we had Jonas and Pogacar on the same team." "You're the next Hinault, the chosen one, but won't someone think of me?"
The reel has over half a million views, the song is on Spotify and the French president is said to have already intervened to ensure that Seixas stays in France. If Paris and a singer-songwriter from Trier want the same thing, that's quite an alliance.
Why UAE is now called
The facts are straightforward. Seixas has a contract with Decathlon CMA CGM until the end of 2027, but since his second place at Strade Bianche at the beginning of March, a report has been circulating from Het Laatste Nieuwsaccording to which UAE Team Emirates-XRG is showing interest. Nothing has been confirmed. UAE sports manager Joxean "Matxin" Fernández only said at the time that every team wanted him, but that he was still under contract. A standard answer.
The rumour mill is churning: INEOS Grenadiers and Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe are now also rumoured to be interested. His 17-year-old brother Nino was at a training camp in Benidorm with UAE in December. This is not necessarily a strategy, but also no coincidence.
Meaning: No signed contract. But the rumours get louder the better Seixas rides. And he has been riding very, very well since Liège.
Nevertheless, the sporting logic behind the UAE's interest is clear: better to include him than have to race against him. From the team's point of view: sensible at best. From a cycling fan's point of view: boring to the max.
The honest question: What would we gain from this?
Imagine for a moment that Seixas signs. What happens then? At the top, one less rider goes against Pogačar. With him instead. Three years of noble helpers, three years of setting the pace, three years of no attacks against the yellow jersey. Pogačar continues to dominate, only now one of the world's greatest talents would be working for him at the front.
That wouldn't be the worst thing for Seixas himself. He would collect training kilometres, experience and money. Maybe even a Richard Mille watch. At some point he might ride the Giro, maybe the Vuelta, and when Pogačar is 33, possibly even with Tour ambitions. Understandable from a sporting point of view, but personally rational.
For us as viewers, it would be the end of a rivalry before it has even begun.
In sporting terms, that makes sense. In narrative terms, it's a disaster.
Races thrive on duels. They thrive on two or three riders in different jerseys racing against each other - and not sitting in the same team bus. Imagine Liège 2026, when Seixas takes the lead at the Redoute with Pogacar and then doesn't break away, but counters. In a different jersey. That's cycling. That's what we want to see.
Killow sums this up in a line that is as banal as it is true: How cool to beat their ass on a Decathlon bike.
Decathlon CMA CGM remains relaxed
At Decathlon CMA CGM, they are publicly relaxed. CEO Dominique Serieys told British journalist Daniel Benson that he was confident. If Seixas does not want to stay, that is his decision. If he believes in the project, they will continue on the path together. That sounds diplomatic, and it probably is. At the same time, it shows that Decathlon has a card that UAE doesn't have: they can offer Seixas a real leadership role. At Pogacar, he would be part of a system. At Decathlon, he would be the system.
What remains
Nothing will happen contractually for the time being. In sporting terms, the debate is still there because Liège-Bastogne-Liège showed that Seixas rides where races are decided. At the age of 19. Only time will tell what that will look like in the tours.
And beyond all the tables, budgets and strategy papers, the simple question remains as to what we as viewers actually want to see. A UAE superpower with two generations of top riders on the same bus? Or a Decathlon rider who follows the world champion on the redoubt and dares to beat him at some point?
Paul, if you're reading this: Listen to the Killow song. Stay. And translated with deepl: Paul, si tu lis ceci : écoute la chanson de Killow. Remains.
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
