Cycling prodigy Paul Seixas crashed during a descent in the French Jura Mountains on the penultimate stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The 19-year-old Frenchman fell after around 40 kilometres and lay at the side of the road for some time with grazes and bloodstains.
The star of the Decathlon team fought his way back to the peloton, his white jersey – awarded to the best young professional – torn and bloodstained, and crossed the finish line at the top of the Grand Colombier in seventh place, 1 minute and 21 seconds behind. “That was my mistake, there’s no excuse. It’s entirely my fault,” said Seixas after the race.
The stage victory on the Grand Colombier went to the Mexican Isaac del Toro. In the overall standings, Seixas is in sixth place, just under two minutes behind the leader, Luke Tuckwell of Australia, after the seventh stage. The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes finishes on Sunday.
Seixas is regarded as a huge talent in France. At the 2025 European Road Championships, the 19-year-old finished third, behind superstars Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel. In April, the Frenchman won the semi-classic Flèche Wallonne as the youngest winner in the history of the traditional race. On his Tour de France debut in July, Seixas aims to challenge favourites Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.
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