It’s been 41 years since a French rider last won the Tour de France. In that stretch, national cycling prodigies have come and gone, but none have carried the hype of Paul Seixas, who is making his much anticipated debut this week on the sport’s biggest stage.
The 19-year-old Seixas, who is the third favorite in this year’s race, is looking to accomplish something virtually unheard-of in pro cycling. It’s been more than 120 years since a teenager won one of cycling’s three Grand Tours. In fact, he’s the youngest Tour de France rider since 1937. As many sports get younger and younger, cycling has remained an old(er) man’s game.
Friday’s Club Sportico essay explores the struggles of French cyclists at the eponymous three-week race, and why Seixas (pronounced “secs-ahhs”) is just one piece of a sizable effort (and sizable investment) to reverse the country’s fortunes. New money from a pair of French companies—one in sporting goods, the other in shipping and logistics—has created optimism that the 41-year drought could soon be a thing of the past.
Here is an excerpt of that essay ✍️:
“Theories abound as to why French cyclists (and French teams) have struggled so much in the sport’s biggest event. Some of it is definitely financial—as a handful of teams have dramatically increased the money they spend on talent, analytics and equipment, French teams have been largely left behind. There’s also a quirk of French labor law that requires athletes and staffers to be full-time employees, which creates a tax burden that doesn’t hit other teams that treat theirs as part-time contractors.
