<\/p>\n
It is a striking assessment from a rider who has seen multiple generations pass through the French system, and who now finds himself one of the last remaining links to an earlier era within his team.<\/p>\n
Exceptional talent, but time still needed<\/p>\n
Seixas burst into the spotlight last season with performances that immediately placed him among the most discussed young riders in the WorldTour. Paret Peintre does not downplay that impact, pointing instead to how unusual Seixas\u2019 early maturity already is.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo do what he did at 19 last year, there\u2019s not much you can criticise about his physical maturity,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s already at the very top after just one year as a professional, so you have to give him time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than framing Seixas as a finished product, Paret Peintre repeatedly returned to the idea of long term development. The talent is clear, but the career path remains open ended.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe already has enormous qualities to do great things,\u201d he added. \u201cAfter that, we\u2019ll see, his career is still long, but for now it definitely points towards very good things.\u201d<\/p>\n
A changing team and a changing role<\/p>\n
Paret Peintre\u2019s comments come as his team continues to evolve, both in structure and ambition. Having raced for years alongside riders such as Benoit Cosnefroy and Dorian Godon, he now finds himself part of a project that looks markedly different to the one that emerged from the Chamb\u00e9ry development system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s part of how a team evolves,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone goes their own way. I\u2019m still very happy with the direction the team is taking, very happy to be part of the project. There are a lot of good things coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that becoming a fully international team is no longer optional in modern cycling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are obliged to become an international team, like all teams are now,\u201d Paret Peintre said. \u201cNew riders, new ambitions, a diversification of profiles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Balancing personal goals and support duties<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to 2026, Paret Peintre expects a familiar but flexible programme, one that could see him balancing his own objectives with a support role for Seixas at key points in the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t really know yet,\u201d he said. \u201cProbably a fairly traditional start to the season in France, with a first objective likely around Paris Nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Support duties may follow later in the spring.\u201cAfter that, maybe a role alongside Paul Seixas in the Ardennes Classics and the Tour of the Basque Country, in terms of being a team mate,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut we will juggle between a calendar where I have personal objectives and others where my objectives are to support the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
A voice of calm amid the noise<\/p>\n
At a time when French cycling is eager to label its next star, Paret Peintre\u2019s words stand out for their restraint. His message is not one of doubt, but of balance. Seixas has already shown enough to justify excitement, but the path ahead remains long.<\/p>\n
For now, the advice from inside the team is simple. Let the talent breathe, let the results come, and let the career unfold in its own time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It is a striking assessment from a rider who has seen multiple generations pass through the French…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[195427,4230,188743,183918,79,20680,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-631963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-aurelien-paret-peintre","9":"tag-cycling","10":"tag-decathlon-cma-cgm-team","11":"tag-paul-seixas","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-tour-de-france","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115718109531416850","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}