BARCELONA, July 2 (Reuters) - French cycling prodigy Paul Seixas said on Thursday that he is ready to live his childhood dream when he makes his Tour de France debut on Saturday.
The 19-year-old rider was not certain of a place in Decathlon CMA CGM's team selected for the Tour at the start of the season.
However, his brilliant start to 2026, with seven wins, including the Tour of the Basque Country and the Fleche Wallonne, made his inclusion inevitable.
His participation was revealed in early May, a few days after being beaten only by Tadej Pogacar in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, giving France its biggest hope in a generation of a first home champion since Bernard Hinault in 1985.
"I approach this like any other race, with the maximum of seriousness and dedication. There’s obviously that little something extra because it’s the Tour, a childhood dream," Seixas told a press conference on Thursday.
"The Tour has another dimension. A new experience is beginning for me, and I hope it will be a good one."
Seixas will be the youngest rider to start the Tour since 1937, and doubts remain over whether he can last three weeks.
"We will see how my recovery is going after 10 or 15 days – these are more questions than fears," Seixas said.
"If there are any mistakes or if it’s tough, it’ll be a learning experience for the future – that’s a positive thing.
"We can't be perfect, especially over three weeks, it's long."
CONTADOR IMPRESSED
Alberto Contador, Spain's twice Tour winner, has been impressed by Seixas.
"I'm especially interested to see how he recovers from week to week because that's what will tell us whether he has what it takes to become a genuine Grand Tour contender. I think he certainly has a chance of finishing on the podium," Contador told Eurosport.
Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard have won the last six Tours between them.
"The priority is to target the general classification, to live this experience, to see how it goes," Seixas added. "I don't know what will be the position but I won't take any risks for any other thing than the general classification."
His preparations were disrupted last month when he quit the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes after crashing heavily.
"Obviously, the days after were not the easiest but the things improved well, and I'm happy to be on the start line in top form," he said.
(Reporting by Vincent Daheron in Barcelona, editing by Ed Osmond)
