“I love the cobbles”: Seixas wants to follow the path Pogačar has blazed in record time

Just 20 months ago, UAE was trying to convince Tadej Pogačar not to race in Paris-Roubaix for fear of compromising his goals in the Grand Tours. Now, Paul Seixas, one of the great promises of world cycling and a contender for the Tour de France, openly speaks of his desire to compete on the cobblestones. In less than two years, we have gone from questioning whether a Tour candidate should race Roubaix to hearing how young talents dream of doing so. And much of that change is due to Tadej Pogačar.

Seixas acknowledges that he wants to try his luck on the cobblestones

Paul Seixas does not want to limit his future to stage races or mountain classics. The Frenchman from Decathlon CMA CGM has acknowledged that he is also attracted to the major cobbled races, including the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

During an interview with Marca at the Singapore Critérium, Seixas made his fondness for this type of racing clear:

"I really like the cobbles. Even in the under-19 category, I enjoyed that type of racing. For now, I will maintain my current program, but when I gain more experience and achieve other goals, I would like to try my luck on the cobbles."

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Seixas has not announced when he will debut in these classics nor has he confirmed that they are in his upcoming calendars. But Seixas makes it clear that for a Grand Tour candidate, Paris-Roubaix is no longer an incompatible goal with his aspirations.

Pogačar has changed the way cycling is understood in a very short time

To understand how much that perception has changed, it is enough to remember what happened in March 2025. After Pogačar's fall in the Strade Bianche, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG publicly expressed doubts about the advisability of their leader racing in Paris-Roubaix.

The team's director, Mauro Gianetti, was particularly clear: "Tadej wants to try his luck in Roubaix, but I repeat to him that he has to wait. He should not take risks because he could get hurt. A serious fall could jeopardize the Tour de France and perhaps the entire season."

The problem was not that Pogačar lacked the level to compete with the specialists, but the consequences that a fall could have on his preparation for the Tour de France.

However, the Slovenian ended up participating in the 2025 Paris-Roubaix and finished second, proving that he could also fight for victory in the Hell of the North.

In 2026, Pogačar again finished second, this time behind Wout van Aert. Two participations and two podiums that have reinforced his sporting argument: being one of the top favorites for the Tour does not prevent competing at the highest level in Roubaix.

The comparison between Gianetti's statements in March 2025 and Seixas's in November 2026 reflects a change in mentality that has occurred at a surprising speed.

Until very recently, a Grand Tour contender wanting to compete in Roubaix could create tensions with the team leaders, who preferred to avoid any unnecessary risks. Now, one of the great promises of the peloton speaks of that race as a dream he hopes to fulfill when the right moment comes.

This does not mean that the dangers have disappeared or that all riders can perform equally on the cobbles. But Pogačar has shown that specialization does not have to impose such strict limits as previously thought. 

And Seixas seems to have embraced this new way of understanding cycling. Although his priority for 2027 will be the road World Championships in Sallanches, the Frenchman is already considering the possibility of expanding his calendar to include the major cobbled classics.

A change that may be one of the most important legacies Pogačar is leaving in cycling, even before he finishes his career.