In the professional peloton, a meteorite named Paul Seixas

A breath of fresh air amid a heatwave hits the World Tour peloton, the highest level of international cycling. At just 18 years old, Paul Seixas has shaken up the professional hierarchy in recent months.

His arrival, worthy of a meteorite in the field, took place last February at the Grand Prix La Marseillaise. The slender (185 cm, 61 kg) Lyon native quickly found his feet. Before exploding in recent days, with an eighth place finish at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and at the French Championships, climbing onto the podium in the time trial on Thursday (third).

This then went straight into the category of exploits, since Paul Seixas became the youngest rider in history to reach the top 10 of a major stage race, wiping out his compatriot Gilbert Bellone and his ninth place in the Tour de Romandie in 1962, at the age of 19.

In France, the man who won the Tour du Pays de Vaud a year ago is already being compared to the greatest in his sport. The public and observers alike are imagining the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team rider succeeding Bernard Hinault, the last Frenchman to win the Tour de France, in 1985. However, that won't happen next July.

"A Grand Tour this year is out of the question," the reigning junior world time trial champion told Eurosport. "It's not even on the table because I'm simply too young for that. This is my first year as a professional and I'm still developing. I still have time to go and do a Grand Tour later."

Fortunately, Paul Seixas can rely on such wisdom, given his dizzying rise since the beginning of 2025. The proof: even the phenomenon Tadej Pogacar didn't display such precocity in his time. At 18, the Slovenian was discovering the continental circuit (third division) and had to settle for second-rate races...