French Tour de France hopeful Paul Seixas has been riding what appears to be a Van Rysel RCR-Pro prototype, both at the Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes (Critrium du Dauphin) and now the Tour de France. Decathlon CMA CGM cycling team mechanics were tight-lipped about any details on the bike when we photographed it at the Grand Dpart in Barcelona, but it does bear a resemblance to the current all-rounder and also features the brands Road-Aero-Light nomenclature on the inner triangle. Another one! Paul Seixas joins the growing trend of adopting 28mm tyres (Image credit: Aaron Borrill)With product lifecycles lasting between three and four years, its likely this prototype is indeed the new RCR-Pro, which was first unveiled in late 2023. Keeping with the current aero trends dominating contemporary road bike design, the new bike utilises Van Rysels super-high-mod carbon fibre. Theres a notably deeper and pointier head tube, with matching fork legs that taper towards the dropouts. The top tube looks straighter, and the rear end is underscored by a thinner seat tube that tightly hugs the rear wheel, with reprofiled seat stays that attach lower down than before.Blacked out and ready to roll; Paul Seixas has been spotted using an unreleased Van Rysel race bikeAaron BorrillThe bike looks like it can accomodate tyres of 34mm and widerAaron BorrillA custom Deda Elementi cockpit rounds out the front endAaron BorrillPaul Seixas name sticker affixed to the seat staysAaron BorrillNot that it was ever undergunned in the tyre clearance stakes, but closer examination also suggests the new bike has space to safely fit widths upwards of 34mm. Interestingly, like many of the riders, Seixas has opted to use 28mm - in this instance, Continental GP5000 S TRs paired with Swiss Side Hadron 3 Ultimate 550 wheels.At 1.86m tall, Seixas has opted for 170mm cranksAaron BorrillThe bike is outfitted in a SRAM Red AXS groupsetAaron BorrillThe groupset comes standard with a spider-based Quarq power meterAaron BorrillGearing comprises a 54/41T chainring and a 10-33T cassetteAaron BorrillAs a SRAM-sponsored team, Seixas Van Rysel is fitted with a Red AXS groupset, complete with a 54/42T chainset, 10-33T cassette, 170mm cranks, and Look Keo Blade Ceramic Ti pedals. Decathlon CMA CGM is currently the only WorldTour team that uses Deda Elementi components - pictured here is a custom integrated cockpit matched to a 140mm stem. Seixas is also running 150mm worth of spacers under his stem. Seixas uses a 140mm stem but also some spacersAaron BorrillThe frame is constructed from Van Rysel's Super High Mod Carbon FibreAaron BorrillA Fizik Vento Antares 00 saddle provides comfort at under 120gAaron BorrillA butyl inner tube is used to house a transponderAaron BorrillThe rest of the build comprises a Fizik Vento Antares 00 saddle, Elite Leggero Carbon bottle cages, and a 3D-printed race number holder for the seatpost. Theres also a section of butyl inner tube wrapped around the right fork leg to hold a transponder.Frameset: Van Rysel Super High Modulus Carbon FibreFork: Van Rysel Super High Modulus Carbon FibreCockpit: Custom Deda Elementi integrated bar-stemSeatpost: Van Rysel CarbonGroupset: SRAM Red AXS 54/41T, 10-33TWheelset: Swiss Side Hadron 3 Ultimate 550Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR 28mmSaddle: Fizik Vento Antares 00Away from his bike, Seixas rides some of the most affordable kit in the peloton, as my colleague Matt highlights in his piece on getting the Seixas look, including the Frenchman's 69 budget sunglasses. While we know Seixas is clearly riding a prototype, it looks pretty much ready for production, and there are already significant discounts on the current RCR & RCR-F at Decathlon; check out some of them below.