Social media video captures anxiety among cycling fans that Seixas joining UAE alongside Pogačar could kill the sport’s next great rivalry.
A fan’s video has gone viral about rumors of a Seixas move to join UAE. (Photo: Gruber Images)
Published April 30, 2026 05:26AM
Transfer rumors linking Paul Seixas to UAE Emirates-XRG are heating up, and one fan’s anthem urging the French prodigy not to join Tadej Pogačar is going viral.
Killow — a self-described cycling super fan and German musician — has struck a chord with his tongue-in-cheek track “Paul Seixas, please don’t sign for UAE.”
The online song captures the zeitgeist of Seixas’ meteoric rise and comes just as he pushed Pogačar deep at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
That’s fueling hype around the 19-year-old’s possible Tour de France debut this summer and accelerating talk of a major transfer.
UAE is widely seen to be first in line to snap up the French phenom, something that many cycling fans do not want to see.
“I would find that terrible. It would make the race so much more boring,” Killow told Sporza, reflecting a fear shared among many fans.
Seixas Fever is now in overdrive as questions swirl around his Tour de France debut and his long-term future.
The question of whether he stays with Decathlon CMA CGM — where his current contract runs through 2027 — has turned his future into a national talking point in France, with French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly keen to keep the country’s top Tour prospect in decades on a French team.
Seixas — eight years younger than the Slovenian — is already viewed by some as a natural successor to Pogačar.
UAE is very interested in signing Seixas for that very reason, with team boss Mauro Gianetti admitting as much.
That possibility is exactly what worries fans.
Internet plea goes viral
All of that drove Killow to write his acoustic plea that’s blown up the internet among cycling fans.
“Paul Seixas, you are too good to be just Pogacar’s successor,” Killow sings. “Do you want to spend your winters training in Zone 2 in the desert?”
A video, with Killow in a polka-dot jersey strumming a guitar, has drawn more than 26,000 likes and generated a heated debate in the comments section.
“I really didn’t expect the song to go so viral. I am a bit overwhelmed,” he told Sporza. “Please, stay where you are. Keep it interesting for us cycling fans.”
Seixas is the first young rider to show real capacity to challenge Pogačar.
If they end up on the same team, fans know that the budding rivalry will disappear.
Isaac del Toro, another highly touted talent also scooped up by UAE, will ride in support of Pogačar this summer at the Tour.
Killow’s social media protest song might capture the mood of many fans worldwide, but UAE may have a few million reasons to change Seixas’ mind.
For now, Seixas said a decision on his Tour de France plans is expected in the coming weeks.