It says that Cervélo or Specialized bikes are faster than Van Rysel, and the brand invites him to check it

Paul Seixas's performance at the recent European Championship, where the 19-year-old Frenchman stood on the podium alongside Tadej Poga?ar and Remco Evenepoel, has sparked admiration and debate. Former professional Lilian Calmejane, stage winner at the 2017 Tour de France, has publicly questioned the performance of his Van Rysel bike, the bicycle brand of the Decathlon team, stating that it could be "limiting" the potential of the new gem of French cycling.

Lilian Calmejane stirs controversy by stating that Van Rysel "limits" the young French promise Paul Seixas

“I do not question his talent, but I remain skeptical about the equipment. I believe that Cervélo or Specialized are faster”, wrote Calmejane on his social media, comparing the situation to “putting Charles Leclerc in an Alpine”.

The former rider argued that, despite the advances of Van Rysel, “you cannot achieve the experience of brands with 30 years in the elite in less than a decade”, such as Specialized, Cervélo, Colnago, or Trek. His comment sparked a wave of responses: from the team's own communication department to several cyclists from the team, who came to the defense of their bike.

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Frenchman Clément Berthet was one of the first to respond: “You shouldn't have doubts. After all the tests we have done, I can say that we have almost the best equipment in the peloton. Van Rysel has done an incredible job”. His teammate Aurélien Paret-Peintre even joked asking to “send a bike to Calmejane for him to try”.

Far from quelling the controversy, the former professional insisted on his position: “I have no certainties, only skepticism. But if Seixas could compete with the best bike on the market, it would be a great advantage. We must give him every possible opportunity with such talent”.

In response to the uproar, Van Rysel reacted gracefully and invited the former pro to their headquarters in northern France: “We would love to have you visit to see how we develop and test our bikes. We hope you change your mind.”

Calmejane accepted the challenge with humor: “If Van Rysel convinces me and proves to be better than a Cervélo S5, I will kneel and ask for forgiveness. Thank you for the invitation.”

The French brand, which in a few years has gone from being a popular choice among enthusiasts to competing directly with the major WorldTour manufacturers, sees the controversy as an opportunity to demonstrate the quality of its RCR Pro and RCR-F models, used by the team on the road and in time trials.