Now well into the 2026 cycling season, Tiesj Benoot is starting fresh with Decathlon CMA CGM and the Seixas dream, the young French talent who wants to be a protagonist at the upcoming Tour de France. After years spent in service of the world's greatest cycling champions, from Primoz Roglic to Jonas Vingegaard, Tiesj Benoot is preparing to experience a completely different Tour de France. For the first time since leaving Visma-Lease a Bike, the Belgian will line up at the Grand Boucle wearing the Decathlon CMA CGM jersey with a decidedly delicate mission: to guide the phenomenal Paul Seixas through his absolute debut at the world's most important race.

At 32 years old, Benoot brings experience, balance, and a deep understanding of Tour dynamics. Qualities that will be fundamental in guiding a boy of just 19 years old who in France is already considered the future of national cycling.

Benoot's season, however, has not been straightforward. Surgery for a hernia in February compromised much of his preparation and forced him into a long rehabilitation period. His debut with his new team came only at the Tour of Switzerland, but the responses were immediately encouraging.

"I no longer feel the need to prove anything," he had declared on the eve of the Swiss race: yet his comeback surprised even himself. In the first mountain stages, he immediately found himself among the group's best climbers, confirming that he had recovered much of his condition. The Belgian ultimately finished fourteenth in the general classification, but we saw him active and always with the best.

"I started training again by doing two twelve-minute sessions on the rollers, sitting upright. Everything under supervision. I learned that you shouldn't rush, otherwise you risk setbacks. When you get back on the bike you want to accelerate the timeline, but recovery must always be the priority. Eighty percent of your form comes back quickly, but for the last 10-20% you have to work hard. In my case it was even more complicated because I couldn't do significant training for almost two months. You lose a lot, but you also feel that your condition returns quickly. I was extremely motivated."

After his return, Benoot was finally able to focus on the main objective of the season: the Tour de France. A Tour that he will experience in a completely different way compared to his recent years at Visma-Lease a Bike. At the center of the Decathlon CMA CGM project is Paul Seixas, the nineteen-year-old Frenchman who has already impressed the cycling world with extraordinary performances.

"I like being part of a team with someone like him. Especially at the Tour." During the altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, he had the opportunity to observe the young Frenchman's development up close, and what he saw impressed him deeply. "I don't want to question the work of our coaches. I can only say that I saw what I saw. It's extraordinary what that kid is capable of."

While recognizing Seixas's exceptional talent, Benoot nevertheless calls for caution. Expectations in France are enormous, but the Belgian believes it is fundamental to protect the young rider from excessive pressure. "I think that in France sometimes people forget that Paul is only 19 years old. At Liège-Bastogne-Liège he managed to stay with Pogacar until La Redoute. That's something incredible for a kid his age. I don't consider him one of the Tour favorites. I think he could finish in the top five or even reach the podium, but he must do it without pressure."

Seixas is undoubtedly a talent so great that he can immediately aspire to the top of the general classification, but still too young to be burdened with responsibility. "Let him enjoy this experience. Otherwise he won't have a long career. He's a special kid and nobody knows what his limits are. Not even he does. And that's precisely the beauty of it."

Benoot's arrival at Decathlon CMA CGM was also motivated by the ambition of the French project. In just a few months, the Belgian has seen a team in rapid transformation. A change accelerated precisely by Seixas's presence, the rider around whom the team is building its future. When Benoot signed his contract, the project planned to target the Tour de France in 2028. But the young Frenchman's growth has completely changed the plans.

"People were already talking about him when I arrived, but as a long-term project. Then things moved much faster because Paul made giant strides."

Now the moment of truth has arrived. In just a few days the Tour de France will open its doors and Benoot will be called upon to play a fundamental role: to guide one of the most anticipated talents of the last decade. After working for already established champions like Vingegaard, the Belgian will find himself alongside a kid who is still discovering his own potential. "Nobody knows where his limits are. Not even he."

A phrase that tells the story better than any statistic, because Paul Seixas's adventure at the Tour de France will be one of the most intriguing and anticipated stories of the cycling summer.