Tour de France: these eight riders accompany Paul Seixas for his debut

Barcelona – 06.07.2026: Paul Seixas will take part in his first Tour de France as planned. His Decathlon CMA CGM team confirmed on June 29 the selection of eight riders who are to accompany the 19-year-old for three weeks. The nomination came after medical checks and fitness tests, after health setbacks had left some places uncertain. Seixas himself had injured his arms and hands in a crash at the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tour, but he completed reconnaissance rides in the mountains and is, according to the team, fit to start.

In the mountains, the debutant will benefit from a clearly defined structure. Tiesj Benoot, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Nicolas Prodhomme and Matthew Riccitello are planned as mountain domestiques. Benoot brings his Grand Tour experience and returns after an injury-related break. Paret-Peintre will be presented as road captain and will have to ensure coordination in hectic race situations. Prodhomme and Riccitello are tasked with pace-setting work on long climbs as well as position battles before key sections.

For the flat stages, the sporting management has expanded its strategy at short notice: with Dutchman Olav Kooij, a proven sprinter joins the team after having to restart his season late following a viral infection and recently showing good form. His selection tips the balance in favor of additional opportunities in mass sprints. Kooij is supported by Cees Bol as a classic lead-out rider, while Daan Hoole contributes his time-trial qualities and work in wind-exposed echelon sections. Bol will also have responsibilities in the opening event; the team expects shifting priorities early in the race between the sprint train and protecting the general classification.

The sporting management emphasizes a dual approach: Seixas is to be supported in the general classification for as long as possible, without giving up stage options. Four sporting directors accompany the team and adapt race plans to stage profiles, weather conditions and race dynamics. From the team’s perspective, Kooij’s presence increases tactical flexibility, while the quartet of climbers is to protect the young rider in the high-mountain sections.

The eight selected riders correspond to the official lists published by the organizers. In French cycling, this mix of experienced and young riders is seen as a pragmatic attempt to secure the talent’s debut while also targeting stage wins. The validity of these short-term adjustments will become apparent as early as the first week of racing, when crosswinds, a team time trial and the first climbs put the peloton in order.