It is not a weight of expectations that bears down on Paul Seixas's shoulders, yet it bears some resemblance to one. At 19 years old with his record-breaking participation – no one younger than him has started the Grand Boucle since 1937 – the Dolphin of France (better known as the Angel of Lyon) has already updated the categories of precocity on the pedal champions' stage.

It truly becomes reductive today to define as a "young champion" that beardless boy whose face graces the front page of L'Équipe, paired with a headline (PAUL SEIXAS: "FAIRE VIBRER LES FRANÇAIS CET ÉTÉ" requires no translation) that outlines the mission, immense and fascinating at the same time: because it is certainly fair to wonder if it isn't too soon, but then – corroborated by such abundant journalistic treatment – the conviction takes hold that Paul wants to savor this first taste of the Tour with all the taste buds he has at his disposal.

He returns to Spain, a springboard thanks to his success in the Basque Country, a precedent that doesn't have its roots in the mists of time. The winner of the 2025 Tour de l'Avenir from Barcelona digitally flips through today's edition of the French daily newspaper and rereads, in the words of correspondent Thomas Perotto, also the period between the fall and withdrawal at the Tour Auvergne Rhone Alpes and today's team presentation in front of the Sagrada Familia.

"The preparation – recounts with a reassuring tone Alexandre Pacot – was not as straightforward as imagined. Yet, apart from the unexpected and the consequences on recovery time after the accident, I knew that things would settle down afterwards".

Strava doesn't lie: since June 18th when Seixas climbed Les Arcs with his teammates, taking the opportunity to scout the (many) climbs planned for the alpine triptych of the final week: "A fantastic moment in which I climbed passes I already knew, developing a genuine passion for the Lautaret, a mountain I adore" said the gem of Decathlon CMA CGM, who also ventured onto the Izoard, the Granon and to the borders of Italy via the Colle della Scala from the gentle Nevache side, opposite to Bardonecchia.

Seixas, in a lengthy interview, skillfully sidesteps the weight of the stellar interest surrounding him: "This pressure, rather positive, I put on myself in the appropriate doses and by myself. I don't feel (the pressure, editor's note) from others, it's mine".

Everything has moved too fast in the world of the 19-year-old to whom French sport entrusts the task of bringing the country (41 years since Hinault's last victory) back to the Tour's honor roll. "I'm not yet a champion because I haven't won the races that champions have in their palmares. I would never have imagined, not even in my dreams, finding myself here" he adds without pretense, reassuring the press ("I feel very well") when reminded of questions about his condition, fueled also by the cancellation of interviews or a scheduled press conference, "due to staffing changes for the Tour including the addition of Olav Kooij". The presence of the Dutch sprinter might suggest downscaled ambitions on Seixas's part, but he replies: "The goal remains to do the best possible, to gain experience, to see day by day how I'm doing and how I handle the three weeks. The fact that Olav is there allows the team to fight for two objectives. And it helps reduce the pressure around me".