There's another Seixas, and he's already been training with UAE Team Emirates-XRG

Amid rumours of UAE Team Emirates-XRG interest in super-talent Paul Seixas, it has emerged that the French teenager has a younger brother… who has already been training with Tadej Pogačar’s team.

Seventeen-year-old Nino Seixas, two years the junior of his brother Paul, joined UAE Team Emirates-XRG for a week-long internship in December.

He posted about the experience on Instagram at the time, a series of photos and videos in full team kit, writing: “End of internship in Benidorm with UAE Team Emirates-XRG where I had a great week full of learning.

“A big thank you to Matxin [Joxean Fernández, UAE sports manager], without whom none of this would have been possible.”

Nino’s brother Paul, who rides for Decathlon CMA CGM, has been the subject of speculation over the last week about a potential move to UAE. According to reports in Belgian outlet HLN, UAE are interested in signing the 19-year-old, who they see as Pogačar’s successor.

The Strade Bianche runner-up is currently under contract with Decathlon until the end of 2027, with discussions ongoing to extend his stay.

In December, Paul was among those who commented on his younger brother’s Instagram post about training with UAE. “Bg,” he wrote – a French slang abbreviation of ‘beau gosse’ meaning handsome boy or man.

Nino is a first-year junior rider this season for French under-19 club VC Villefranche Beaujolais. Though his talent is unknown, he has made a similar start to his cycling career as Paul, competing in cyclo-cross and joining the same club.

Speaking to Ouest-France, an unnamed member of Nino’s entourage said “there is no UAE strategy” for the young rider, stressing that his internship was “just an invitation”.

“Nino doesn’t have a long cycling history yet,” they said. “The pressure on Paul is intense, and Nino could be subjected to completely unnecessary pressure because he is Nino Seixas. We want to avoid that at all costs.

“His career start will be different. We want Nino to work and progress at his own pace, calmly.”

It is common for WorldTour teams to invite junior riders to training camps, where they might carry out tests to learn more about their potential. Just because a rider has trained with a team, there is no guarantee they will sign for them.