France Announces Team for U23 and Junior Cycling World Championships in Rwanda Amid Regulation Changes

The French team revealed the list of 12 riders selected for the junior and U23 categories for the upcoming World Championships in Rwanda (September 21-28) on Monday, August 18, 2025. Following a regulation change initiated by the UCI last year, Paul Seixas (18 years old) cannot be selected for the U23 category, despite his young age. He would undoubtedly have been a great medal chance for the French team at the road cycling World Championships in Kigali (September 21-28), but the regulation change by the UCI makes his participation impossible. The prodigy Paul Seixas (18) is, in fact, ineligible to participate in the U23 road race, as well as the time trial at the upcoming World Championships in Rwanda.

The cause is a reform stating that starting in 2025, riders under 23 racing for a WorldTour team (first division) or ProTeams (second division) are no longer allowed to start in the international U23 championships. In 2024, the U23 race featured many rising stars, including the impressive talents of 2025: Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates – XRG), Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates – XRG), and Giulio Pellizzarri (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe). The French team is sending only three riders per category.

Consequently, this year, the peloton at the World and European U23 Championships will be exclusively composed of athletes from Continental teams. On Monday, August 18, 2025, the French team announced its list for the junior and U23 races. Among men, Johan Blanc (17, Groupama-FDJ Conti Juniors), Yann Dubois (17, Argenteuil Val de Seine Cyclisme Junior), and Théophile Vassal (17, Decathlon – AG2R La Mondiale) were selected for the juniors. In the U23 category, Breton Pierre Henry Basset (21, XDS Astana Development Team) will race alongside Maxime Decomble (20, Groupama-FDJ Continental) and Victor Loulergue (20, Bourg-en-Bresse Ain Cyclisme).

For the women, Maëva Plagniol, Thaïs Poirier, and Lise Revol will form the junior team. Julie Bego (20, Cofidis Women Team), Marion Bunel (20, Visma-Lease a Bike Women Team), and Célia Géry (19, FDJ-Suez) were selected for the U23 category. The rule is different for women since all three of these riders compete in WorldTour teams, and two of them even participated in the last Tour de France Femmes. This will be the first-ever race dedicated solely to the U23 category in women’s cycling. Until now, during the elite race, the best under-23 rider in the race ranking was crowned. This is no longer the case in 2025. As expected, France decided to send only three riders per category due to the logistical constraints related to travel, given that this is the first World Championship held in Africa.