Tour de France: Eight riders supporting Paul Seixas’s debut

Barcelona – July 6, 2026: Paul Seixas will make his Tour de France debut as planned. On June 29, Team Decathlon CMA CGM announced the eight riders who will support the 19-year-old over three weeks. The selection was made following medical checks and condition tests, after health setbacks had previously left some places uncertain. Seixas himself injured his arm and hand in a crash at the Tour of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but he completed reconnaissance of the mountain routes and has been declared fit to start in the team announcement.

In the mountains, a clear support structure has been set up for the debutant. Tiesj Benoot, Aurélien Paret‑Peintre, Nicolas Prodhomme, and Matthew Riccitello are planned as climbing domestiques. Benoot brings Grand Tour experience and has returned from injury. Paret‑Peintre is expected to serve as road captain, handling decision-making in hectic race situations. Prodhomme and Riccitello will be responsible for setting the pace on long climbs and fighting for position before key sections.

For the flat stages, the team has made a short-term change of plan: Dutchman Olav Kooij has been called up, adding an established sprinter who has recently regained form after a virus infection delayed his start to the season. His selection improves the team’s additional chances in bunch sprints. Kooij will be supported by classic lead-out rider Cees Bol, while Daan Hoole will be able to show his strengths in individual time trials and wind-exposed sections. Bol is also expected to take responsibility in the opening stages, with the team anticipating that sprint-train and general classification (GC) protection priorities may alternate early on.

The sporting management emphasizes a dual approach: Seixas should not forgo opportunities for stage victories and should be supported in the general classification for as long as possible. Four sports directors will accompany the team and adjust the daily plan according to the course profile, weather, and race dynamics. From the team’s perspective, Kooij’s presence increases tactical flexibility, while the four mountain specialists will protect the young rider in the high-mountain stages.

The announced eight riders match the organizer’s official start list. In French road cycling, combining experienced riders with young talent is seen as a practical attempt to stabilize a talent’s debut while also targeting stages. Whether the short-term lineup change will prove effective may already become clear in the first week, when crosswinds, the team time trial, and the first climbs sort out the peloton.