Sawt Falasteen - French cycling hope Seixas dreaming of Tour de France debut

Seixas is just 19 but starts the new season as the leader at French team Decathlon CMA CGM firmly in the spotlight.

In his first season he kept pace with cycling's elite, taking third place in the road race at the European Championships behind four-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar and double Olympic gold medallist Remco Evenepoel.

"Obviously when you follow these guys once, it gives you a lot of confidence," Seixas told AFP at his Sierra Nevada altitude training camp in Spain.

"Being much younger than them, I tell myself that if last year at the end of the season, I managed to keep up with them, that means that if I progress further, I will be able to close this gap."

No Frenchman has won the Tour de France since 1985, when Bernard Hinault won it for the fifth and final time. But there is belief that Seixas could be the rider to end that drought.

He opens the year at the Tour of the Algarve, which takes place February 18-22.

"I haven't seen my parents of girlfriend for two months. But we know why we do it, when you come back down, you really feel the difference," said Seixas.

As far as the Tour de France is concerned though Seixas would not be drawn on his participation.

"It would definitely be a dream, but it's not my goal this year," he told AFP.

"But it makes me want to push myself in training to succeed in the race."

X.AbuJaber--SF-PST