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.

On top of that, some cycling experts believe French athletes and teams are culturally less willing to make all the sacrifices necessary to build a Grand Tour contender. By some twisted logic, that may also include an aversion to doping.

Seixas is now the backbone of a much broader movement to change things (you could even call it a revolution). He’s currently employed by Decathlon CMA CGM, a French team that was sold in the middle of last year’s Tour de France. A French sportswear brand, Decathlon said at the time that it was planning to spend $47 million (40 million Euros) per year on the team—that’s still less than the biggest teams, but a dramatic jump up from the ~$33 million (€28 million) that the team and its French peers had spent in prior years. A few weeks later, French shipping and logistics giant CMA CGM signed on for five years, providing a sizable cash infusion.

If you’re an MLB fan, think of Decathlon CMA CGM as the San Diego Padres. They’re not spending up with the sport’s top dogs, but they’re hoping to find success by investing more than the fat middle of their competition. Another point of comparison might be the New York Knicks, who just overcame their fans’ own concerns about cultural issues plaguing the franchise to snap a decades-long drought. Bigger-spending teams outside of France will likely to try to poach Seixas if he doesn’t re-sign with Decathlon before next year, amping up the pressure.”