The young Frenchman Paul Seixas is considered the next cycling superstar. In the difficult one-day race Liège-Bastogne-Liège he came second behind Tadej Pogacar, who had great difficulty keeping clear of Seixas.
The Quai des Ardennes The solo stage of the professional cyclist, who is currently appearing in the world champion’s rainbow jersey, was also in the center of Liège this Sunday at the end of April. Tadej Pogacar won the Liège-Bastogne-Liège cycling monument on the banks of the Ourthe river for the third time in a row and for the fourth time overall.
It was his 13th victory in one of these one-day monuments. The Slovenian is now clearly in second place in the all-time best list of this ranking, which is still led by Eddy Merckx with 19 triumphs. But this time it wasn’t as easy as usual for the 27-year-old Pogacar to perform his classic solo program in Liège. Because now he has an opponent who, at least this Sunday, was almost his equal. And which, as things stand, is likely to become even more equal in the coming years.
19-year-old “prodigy” from France
The race covers 260 kilometers and it was clear that Pogacar would wait until 35.6 kilometers from the finish to make his usual coup in the race Côte de la Redoute to start. In fact, he accelerated 700 meters ahead on this extremely steep climb – and only one rider was able to follow him during his four violent starts.
It was Paul Seixas, a 19-year-old Frenchman who is in the process of becoming a major star in his sport. Because he is exceptionally good or simply a “prodigy,” as the veteran Patrick Lefevere, the former team manager of the Quick-Step team, recently stated in amazement.
Pogacar on Seixas: “Impressed and amazed”
On the last climb of the day, the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, However, Pogacar accelerated two more times and there, just under 14 kilometers from the finish, Seixas finally fell off. Seixas was only a few hundred meters away from the summit, but he was in the deep red area and had lost the race at this point.
Tadej Pogacar (r.) drives in front of Paul Seixas.
“At that moment I was really completely exhausted”said Seixas after the race. With second place, which he later achieved confidently, 45 seconds behind Pogacar and also as a soloist, he once again and extremely impressively showed what he is already capable of. Pogacar certainly was “Impressed and amazed at how good Paul is. I can’t praise him highly enough. He drove a great race.”
The next big challenger
And even though four-time Tour de France winner Pogacar showed again this spring that he is currently the best rider in the world – the victory in Liège was his fourth success in his fifth start in 2026 – he expects Seixas to be his biggest challenger soon. The young Frenchman has already won seven races between February and the end of April, including victories in the difficult Basque Country Tour and the semi-classic Fleche Wallonne last Wednesday.
Pogacar is amazed at this development: “Paul is just 19. Normally, an endurance athlete’s body is in its prime between the ages of 26 and 30. My team and I will have to work hard against him. We will try to win as many races as possible before Paul destroys us all.”
Paul Seixas to Liège-Bastogne-Liège
A complete driver
France is celebrating a golden child it has just received after years of hardship and defeats in the Tour de France, the country’s national shrine. Because Seixas masters all types of games that are required of a successful tour driver.
He is an outstanding time trialist. He shines in the mountains. He is brave and fast on the descents. He masters his bike in an extraordinary way; he learned how to use his bike in off-road cyclo-cross races, in which he was very successful as a teenager. And he has a fascinating racing instinct.
In Hinault’s footsteps
It has been 41 years since Bernard Hinault, a pillar saint of French sporting history, last won the Tour of France. Seixas actually seems to be the one who could make the nation, which is used to winning, cheer again in the near future.
Hinault himself, who won the Tour, the largest and most important cycling race in the world, five times, is enthusiastic about Seixas’ achievements. He is currently not only winning one-day races like the Walloon Arrow last Wednesday, but also difficult stage tests such as the most recent Basque Country Tour, which goes over many mountains – and with confidence.
“It can’t be a coincidence that someone is so good and consistent at this level. There’s something about him that inspires optimism for the future. Hats off, really hats off,” says Hinault. Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France, is currently completely enthusiastic about Seixas’ development. In an interview with Sportschau in Liège he said: “Paul Seixas is an incredible talent. What he does and how he drives is breathtaking. He’s like Bernard Hinault. We don’t know where his development will lead. But he opens a door to something really big.”
The French cycling “messiah”?
Marc Madiot, the head of the French selection Groupama-FDJ, who is very influential in the world of cycling, even describes Seixas as “the chosen one” and also as “Messiah”. Furthermore, Madiot said: “Paul will be the driver France has been waiting for. He has gifts that only a few people have, Tadej Pogacar for example. He has everything in his repertoire.”
Seixas’ career took off early. “Success came step by step. Race after race I started winning and getting better. That’s my goal above all: to keep getting better,” Seixas said last October. His first racing bike competition “I won straight away. It happened in Bourg-en-Bresse. I was eight or nine then”he says. A winning driver was born because this young guy just didn’t stop winning. Seixas is currently in the process of continuing this youth series with the professionals.
Teams are lining up
A rider as extraordinary and as young as Seixas is inevitably the most sought-after professional in the peloton. His contract with his team Decathlon CGA CGM is dated until the end of 2027, and interested parties are already lining up. Ralph Denk, the boss of the German team Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, said in an interview with the Sportschau in Liège: “Every team is trying to talk to Paul Seixas. We would be stupid not to target that.”
The second big topic for Seixas these days, in addition to his future employer, is his July planning. Will he show up at the Tour de France? At 19? Seixas is still keeping a low profile. A decision on this will be announced in the coming days. Nevertheless, Seixas says confidently: “It is my big goal to win the Tour de France one day.”
