"I'm not going to waste time": Seixas directly targets a duel with Pogacar in the Tour

Paul Seixas has not yet debuted in a grand tour and is already talking about Tadej Pogacar as a rival he wants to "bother" from the start of the Tour de France. Two days after confirming his presence in the race, the Frenchman made it clear in an interview with RMC that he will not travel to Barcelona to survive three weeks or to seek isolated breaks. His goal is the general classification.

Seixas wants to measure himself against Pogacar from the first week of the Tour

"I am going for the general classification, I am not going to lose time in the first week looking for stages," explained the rider from the Decathlon CMA CGM Team. This is an unusual statement for a 19-year-old cyclist, especially for someone who has never raced in a three-week event.

Seixas' idea is to take advantage of the part of the Tour that he considers most favorable for his profile. He believes that the first week fits better with the type of efforts he currently excels at and where he can stay close to the best before entering unknown territory. "The first week will be a terrain I know better. The last two are a mystery to me," he acknowledged.

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This analysis aligns quite well with his season. His best performances have come in explosive and very intense races, especially in efforts lasting between four and five minutes. There, he has been able to compete at Pogacar's level in events like Liège and Strade Bianche. The problem changes when the fatigue accumulates over consecutive days.

That is why his preparation for the Tour will now focus on a different type of work. "I have worked a lot on short efforts, of four or five minutes. Now we will have to focus more on long and threshold efforts," he explained. The Frenchman believes that this is where the margin for improvement lies, which he needs to sustain performance over three weeks and not just in explosive efforts for a day.

Even so, he does not downplay his competitive discourse. When directly asked about Pogacar, he avoided any direct comparison, although he made it clear that he wants to measure himself against him from the start of the race. "Right now, the facts speak for him. He has practically won everything and already has four Tours. I can't imagine comparing myself to him," he admitted before adding that he will try to "be as close as possible and try to discomfort him even if it's at the beginning of the Tour."

He also left an interesting reflection on the team's approach for the start in Barcelona. The Tour will kick off with a team time trial, and Seixas believes that there may be immediate opportunities for the Decathlon CMA CGM Team. "The first day could favor us quite a bit," he commented, even hinting at the possibility of fighting for the yellow jersey from the start.

When asked what he would choose between winning a stage, wearing yellow, or finishing on the podium in Paris, he did not hesitate. "The podium," he replied immediately.

The ambition is surprising for his age, but not for the performance he has shown this year. Seixas has already won the Tour of the Basque Country and the Flèche Wallonne, in addition to finishing second in Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The leap to the Tour comes earlier than expected, but within the team, they believe that his numbers justify the move.

The big question is not whether he can keep up with the best for a few days. He has already proven that. The doubt lies in how he will respond when the Tour enters the third week and the fatigue starts to determine differences more than explosiveness.