Can you believe it, the Tour de France is right around the corner. Yes, the hunt is for the maillot jaune is almost on, but while most eyes will be focused on Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, I’ve been skimming the stories behind the yellow jersey.
I’ve picked out seven riders, including a few podium hunters, breakaway artists and sprinting talents, to keep an eye on throughout the three weeks for maximum entertainment and intrigue.
Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)
French prodigy Paul Seixas is making one of tthe most hotly anticipated Tour de France debuts ever, such is the weight of expectations on the 19-year-old carries. But while many would buckle – and have buckled – under that pressure, Seixas is already riding like a man ready to carry the next generation on his shoulders.
Just this season alone, he has brushed shoulders with Tadej Pogačar, finishing second behind the World Champion at Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège while winning Itzulia Basque Country and Flèche Wallonne in the Slovenian’s absence.
His confidence may have taken a hit after crashing in his most recent race, the Tour Auvergne – Rhône-Alpes, and being forced to pull out the following day, but it’s likely he’ll still be on the start line and ready to try to take the race to the two big favourites.
Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
All this talk of Seixas sees Isaac del Toro bumped to the side somewhat, which is outrageous. One of the fiercest young prospects the sport has seen, the Mexican has the capabilities to challenge right now while, scarily, still developing his talents. While he was a highly touted U23, winning the Tour de l’Avenir, his pro breakthrough came at last year’s Giro, where he finished second after a dramatic final mountain stage, and he looks to have taken a massive step forward in his level since then.
He’s taken a series of big stage race victories so far this season but comes into the Tour as Pogačar’s final mountain domestique. It’ll be interesting to see how UAE Team Emirates XRG balance Pogačar with a 22-year-old that could realistically podium himself. Will he be utilised as a dangling carrot for Jonas Vingegaard? If Pogačar builds a lead early, could Del Toro be encouraged to race for himself? Could Del Toro’s mountain leadout be so strong he and Pogačar just ride off into the sunset leaving everyone else behind? It’s all possible.
Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
A lot has changed for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in the past couple of seasons. Remco Evenepoel joined the squad from Soudal Quick-Step, long-time lead sports director Rolf Aldag departed the team, and in 2025 Florian Lipowitz became the first German since 2006 to make the podium of the Tour.
There are a lot of riders vying for leadership here with Evenepoel, Primož Roglič, Jai Hindley, Giulio Pellizzari and occasionally Dani Martínez, so it’s hard to get a word in edgeways, but it’s Evenepoel and Lipowitz who will line up at the Tour as co-leaders.
They spent time together earlier this year on a training camp on Monte Teide in Tenerife, and it appeared to prove prosperous, as both demonstrated their abilities at the Volta a Catalunya. Lipowitz dropped Evenepoel on the last climb of the queen stage, with Evenepoel then spending the next day helping Lipowitz towards a podium finish that the German said would not be possible without his Belgian teammate.
The Tour begins with a team time-trial in Barcelona and Red Bull have one of the strongest teams on paper, which should put them both in good stead going forwards, and there’s a good chance one of them will end the opening stage in the yellow jersey.
Evenepoel and Lipowitz finished third overall in the last two Tours, so who eventually takes the team’s leadership will be decided on the road. However given Evenepoel’s struggles to get through a full three-week race (he has a 50% DNF rate in Grand Tours so far in his career), I’m likely to pivot towards Lipowitz as the one prevailing in this internal battle.
Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)
Ben Healy had the Tour of his life in 2025, winning Stage 6 after a 42km solo jaunt before enjoying a stint in the maillot jaune and eventually finishing an impressive ninth on the general classification.
While it was a strong GC performance, we can expect the Irishman to be back to stage hunting this year, though given his showing last season, it might be harder to get away.
Another name to keep an eye on at EF Education-Post is Alex Baudin. The Frenchman will be riding his second Tour and is in the form of his life, finishing ninth overall at both Paris-Nice and the Itzulia Basque Country earlier in the year before coming into his own at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, where he won Stage 1 from a 29km solo attack and held the race lead for four days.
Dorian Godon (Netcompany Ineos)
Big names like Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier might take the sprinting headlines at the Tour, but keep an eye on Dorian Godon. The Frenchman is having his best year yet after signing for Netcompany Ineos and has won multiple stages at races this season including Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and the Tour de Romandie.
He could break his Grand Tour duck having come closest with a third place at the Vuelta back in 2019, and he will have the backing of Netcompany Ineos on the non GC stages.
He’s potentially more of a hipster option to back. He’s got the moustache too.
Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step)
I’m locking in a Valentin Paret-Peintre attack for Bastille Day. Paret-Peintre won the Mont Ventoux stage last year from the breakaway ahead of Healy and has declared that he will be targeting the polka dot jersey once racing gets underway, according to Le Dauphiné Libéré.
No more Evenepoel gives Soudal Quick-Step a lot more freedom to chase stage wins, and Paret-Peintre’s ambitions will lead the way in the mountains. It’s hard for the polka dots to evade the clutches of the maillot jaune these day, but having had strong stage finishes on days at Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie, he certainly has the legs to follow in the footsteps of Richard Carapaz in taking the maillot à pois from Pogačar.
Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies)
Jordan Jegat had a brilliant Tour in 2025 with a tenth place finish overall and has been incredibly strong this season too after coming back from injury, just missing out on the podium at the Tour of Türkiye and scoring multiple top ten stage finishes at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes from the breakaway.
He’s obviously talented, and he’s been linked with a move away from TotalEnergies to Lidl-Trek. There’s some uncertainty over the future of the TotalEnergies squad with the hunt still underway for a new sponsor, but founder Jean René Bernaudeau went so far as calling out Jegat specifically, stating that any riders looking for a move away would jeopardise their Tour place: ‘if Jordan trusts Stéphane Heulot [team manager] and me, he will be at the Tour. If he does not respect our rule, he will not go to the Tour.’
Holding a man hostage doesn’t seem a great deal for either party, but if Jegat backs up last year’s performance, he could just be raising his value for a move to a WorldTour squad for the first time in his career.
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