Before the start of the Giro d'Italia, and especially after the announcement that Paul Seixas will be at the start of the Tour de France, Cyrille Guimard spoke at length about the state of French cycling. Guimard is a symbol in France, not only because he raced and won on the road, track and in cyclocross, but because as a sports director he led champions like Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon and Lucien Van Impe to success. "We had imagined for some time that Seixas would participate in the Tour – Cyrille Guimard said in the Cyclism Actu column -. Based on the various statements by Prudhomme (the Tour director, ed.), his team, Decathlon, and Seixas himself, it was an open secret, even though various people wondered if it was appropriate, at his age, to race the Tour".

Cycling is always an unknown and it can happen to win due to injuries or mistakes by opponents. "You never know what can happen in a race. He can win, yes. It takes a crash involving Vingegaard and Pogacar, and then the road to victory is paved".

Guimard was opposed to Seixas's participation in the Tour, a great talent, capable of winning the Flèche Wallonne and finishing second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège after an exciting duel with Pogacar: "Because I am more interested in a career plan for such a precocious boy, rather than saying 'let's try to make everything easy for him from the start'. As I have already said and I repeat it, patience is never a waste of time. But what interests me most is how this boy will react to all the pressure being exerted on him, to the star treatment he is receiving. Today we can already consider him superior to Kylian Mbappé and all the other great stars of this sport. At that age we are still psychologically fragile, and he will have to learn to manage all of this. And it's not easy, not at all. I repeat, it's not his potential that is in question. It's how Paul Seixas will be at 25, 28, 35 years old... And I don't think this has been taken into consideration, since we still need to protect a nineteen-year-old. He has already become the biggest star of sport in France, in terms of media pressure he is superior to Mbappé, to Antoine Dupont or to Léon Marchand. How can we manage all of this? That is the question".

Then there is the matter of his team, Decathlon: "They have never been brilliant at the Tour, this has actually been one of their biggest problems. It's a team that in general has had a disappointing Tour, but it cannot afford to be absent, and it's a factor that influenced the decision. Decathlon could not do without Seixas at the Tour, and the Tour de France could not do without Seixas. For six years now the Tour organizers, with Christian Prudhomme, have managed it with only two riders, Vingegaard and Pogacar. So, even if they tell you that the ratings are good, fine, but Prudhomme explained it perfectly, in more or less diplomatic terms: they needed Seixas to generate interest before the Tour started. All the questions that will be asked will always be the same and everyone will be glued to their televisions. The Tour will have won, and Decathlon will have won. But Paul Seixas, the man, will he have won?".

Speaking a bit about sporting ambitions, according to bookmakers Seixas is the second favorite for the Tour, tied with Vingegaard, far behind Pogacar, but still the second favorite. "Well, bookmakers are not necessarily experts, and you can say whatever you want. Some win, others lose. If I did an interview on the street, you would get the same result. But is the competition really decided on the sidewalk? It's obvious, given the potential we know of the various riders or those who will race at the Tour, that you cannot ignore Seixas at least for the podium, and talk about a possible victory. But not everyone who starts finishes at the finish line. There are health issues, accidents and then maybe serious mistakes too. But for now we will only talk about three riders". That is Pogacar, Vingegaard and Seixas, and where do we put Evenepoel and Lipowitz? "Today they are just supporting actors". On Seixas's role at the Tour, Guimard continues: "It will be his first Grand Tour. When you see Pogacar's dominance, you cannot put him on the same level. The race could change everything, but clearly there are three men. Including, of course, the one we dare not say can be beaten, and that is Pogacar. His demonstration at the Romandia, where he pedaled on one leg and literally triumphed, is clear. Just as Merckx did in his time, and then Hinault. Seixas is a rider whose potential we know, because now we have the data, we know his power, so we know that he places himself somewhere between Pogacar and Vingegaard".

Tomorrow the Giro d'Italia starts from Bulgaria with Vingegaard as a heavy favorite: "No, for me the Giro is not interesting. If you look at the starting lineups, there is Vingegaard and then there are the teammates of the great leaders who will then be at the start of the Tour. The Giro becomes an opportunity for those ambitious riders who have a minimum level of quality and will be able to be a bit freer. But on paper, I don't see who can challenge Vingegaard".

We close with the French at the start of the pink race: Mathys Rondel will certainly aim for the top 10 and Paul Magnier can take the first pink jersey in Bulgaria. "This is the interesting part of the Giro, seeing the last 10 kilometers – Guimard concludes -. I really hope that Magnier can win his first victory in a Grand Tour, because he is the strongest French sprinter and has a well-prepared team for this type of event. And I can see him very well wearing the polka dot jersey too".