Stefan Tabeling, dpa
Even after writing himself into the history books of cycling, Paul Seixas wasn’t done yet. Early on Sunday morning, he was back on the starting line for the Roc d’Azur mountain bike race in the south of France. And this was less than 24 hours after the French prodigy had achieved a historic feat. At the age of 20 years and 16 days, he became the youngest winner in the 121-year history of the Tour of Lombardy.
“Sometimes I feel as though I’m dreaming. This result is incredible, something truly extraordinary. If someone had told me at the start of the season everything I would go on to win, I would never have believed it,” said Seixas. Not even the legendary Eddy Merckx or superstar Tadej Pogacar had managed to win one of the five cycling classics (Milan–San Remo, Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Lombardy) at such a young age. In any case, only three riders were younger – though that was in the days before the end of the Second World War, when cycling was hardly comparable to today’s professional sport.
‘L'Equipe’: ‘Like a vampire’
Consequently, the headlines were flying thick and fast, particularly in his home country. “Seixassionnel,” read the headline in *L’Equipe*, which devoted its first six pages to the new French cycling hero. “He picked his rivals apart one by one – with surgical precision,” it went on to say: “Like a vampire tasting the blood of his rivals, whom he had just tormented, on his lips.” And in Italy, the *Gazzetta dello Sport* hailed the “youngest King of Lombardy”.
In the style of Pogacar, who had ended his season after breaking his collarbone in the Vuelta, Seixas claimed victory in Como after 239 kilometres, riding solo following an attack on the penultimate climb. He stormed up the Civiglio in 11 minutes and 54 seconds, 38 seconds faster than the Slovenian Tour de France champion had done four years ago. Far too fast for stars such as European champion Remco Evenepoel, who finished fourth this time round. The cycling world can look forward to some great battles with Pogacar in the future, having consistently dominated the autumn classic over the last five years.
Clashes with Pogacar
Seixas probably wouldn’t have stood a chance against Pogacar either. “Without Tadej, the races aren’t the same – he’s the best,” said Seixas, already looking ahead: “He’s so strong that everyone has to work harder to improve. It’s a dream for me to be able to compete against him. Maybe I’ll manage it one day, maybe never, but I’ll keep trying.”
Yet Seixas, who is eight years younger, still has plenty of potential. And his record this year is already impressive. On his Tour debut – which was actually only planned for 2027 or 2028 – he finished fourth straight away. Prior to that, he had already won the semi-classic Flèche Wallonne and the gruelling Tour of the Basque Country. He also finished third in the time trial at the World Championships.
The first French Tour winner since Hinault?
Successes that are no fluke. “There’s no such thing as fate. You have to work hard and take your destiny into your own hands. Things don’t just happen by magic,” says Seixas, the Grande Nation’s hope for France’s first Tour de France victory since Bernard Hinault in 1985.
After all, Seixas is a star performer in his field. “He’s always ahead of his time. The plan is going according to schedule, although the outlook is looking more optimistic with every step,” says Jean-Baptiste Quiclet, Head of Performance Development at the Decathlon team. At the age of 14, he was already French U17 champion; at 18, he made his professional debut; and at 19, he had already finished third at the European Championships. Alongside all this, he completed his school-leaving qualifications with distinction.
He is highly ambitious – sometimes too much so. At the World Championships in Montreal, he suffered from cramp and finished 15th. Afterwards, he was hard on himself: “My team-mates didn’t deserve a captain like me. I’m ashamed.”
Things looked quite different on Saturday during the impromptu champagne celebration in front of the team bus, before the young star set off for his next race.
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