{"id":1814456,"date":"2026-03-07T15:35:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T12:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1814456"},"modified":"2026-03-07T15:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T12:35:26","slug":"still-just-19-paul-seixas-takes-on-tadej-pogacar-and-goes-closest-of-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1814456","title":{"rendered":"Still Just 19: Paul Seixas Takes on Tadej Poga\u010dar and Goes Closest of All"},"content":{"rendered":"
For once the hype may be spot on. It\u2019s a measure of Paul Seixas\u2019 talent that the 19 year old\u2014who is a full eight years younger than Tadej Poga\u010dar\u2014finished just one minute behind the world champion in what is his first Strade Bianche.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a measure of the Frenchman that he dropped the rider seen by many as Poga\u010dar\u2019s potential successor, Isaac del Toro, even after the Mexican sat on him for kilometer after kilometer in the race. Del Toro was marking Seixas due to being Poga\u010dar\u2019s teammate but notwithstanding that, Seixas floored it on the final climb towards the line, shelled his rival, and raced in nine seconds ahead.<\/p>\n
A good day out for the Decathlon CMA CGM rider? You can say that again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great result,\u201d Seixas told media at the finish line, including Cycling Pro Net. \u201cI didn\u2019t say it in the [pre-race] interview, but we still aimed for the podium today. It\u2019s definitely a very ambitious goal. I never did this race before, I barely knew the sectors. So, I knew I had to rely a bit on my cyclocross skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were not enough, you know, since I stopped [that sport] two years ago. So, I managed to ride a bit, and then I fought all day to get this result. But it\u2019s mainly the team\u2019s work that was very impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2018I had stomach cramps all day\u2019<\/h2>\nPaul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) was the runner-up in this year\u2019s Strade Bianche (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Seixas\u2019 Decathlon CMA CGM team did indeed perform well, but it is clear that he is something really special.<\/p>\n
Winner of the junior world championship time trial in 2024, he was handed a WorldTour contract by the Decathlon squad and went on to win the Tour de l\u2019Avenir. He was also third in the European road race championship behind Poga\u010dar and Remco Evenepoel, then placed seventh in Il Lombardia.<\/p>\n
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Seixas has hit the ground running this year, his second season as a pro. He took his first pro win in mid-February when he won a stage of the Volta ao Algarve, beating no less than Tour de France stars Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), Jo\u00e3o Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG) and Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers) to do so.<\/p>\n
He then followed that up with victory in the Faun-Ard\u00e8che Classic, finishing almost two minutes clear of the next riders after a 42km solo breakaway.<\/p>\n
Going up against Poga\u010dar was another big test, and he did more than well.<\/p>\n
The world champion made his move 80km from the line and Seixas was the only one able to bridge across once the gap had opened. He did crack after that, sliding backwards and being caught by Del Toro, and revealed that he was further delayed by the Mexican\u2019s tactics.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy legs felt good. I had some minor stomach issues. I had a bit of stomach cramps all day,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t really know why, but it didn\u2019t bother me. I was so focused on my race that, well, it just went out the window.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI tried to keep up at the beginning, he [Poga\u010dar] attacked just before the descent. After that, they played as a team. Del Toro blocked me. He really didn\u2019t want me to pass. I\u2019d overtake him and he\u2019d overtake me again. He was holding me up in front.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018He was pacing himself better than me\u2019<\/h2>\nPaul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) blew Isaac Del Toro away on the last climb of Strade Bianche (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Poga\u010dar\u2019s initial attack with 80km to go gapped all bar Tom Pidcock, but the Briton\u2014who won in 2023 and was second last year\u2014had issues with his bike. His chain dropped off and he had to ease back to fix it, with the gap consequently opening between himself and Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a measure of Seixas\u2019s strength that he was able to get across to the Slovenian. However once he was gapped again it was more or less game over, in terms of the race win.<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave it my all to try and keep up with him. I knew I had a lot to lose because if I\u2019d pushed myself too hard at that point, 80 kilometers from the finish, it was going to be tough later on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think he was pacing himself better than me because I was going all out, and he kept looking back and seeing me coming back, so he\u2019d accelerate again. I think he was definitely pacing himself better than me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyway, I\u2019m 500 meters short [a slightly underestimation of the gap at the end \u2013 ed.]. It\u2019s all the strong stuff I did in the wind. He was also in the wind, so that\u2019s how it is. He was just stronger, you know. And he\u2019s still the best rider in the world. So, no regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that small gap which will give him most encouragement for the future. As stated already, Poga\u010dar is a full eight years older than the Frenchman. Seixas has plenty of time to grow and improve and, providing he continues on the right track, could well go on to dominate the sport in the same way Poga\u010dar is doing now.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s already one minute too many, let\u2019s say,\u201d he said, making clear he wants more. \u201cThat\u2019s the minute that made him win, and especially since he attacked 80km from the finish. So, well, at a certain point, it\u2019s just phenomenal. And one minute, well, it\u2019s not far off.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s true, it\u2019s definitely not very far, but it\u2019s still a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018I want to continue this upward journey\u2019<\/h2>\nSeixas was able to drop Del Toro despite the latter sitting on him during the race (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Seixas may rue that time gap but he still goes away from the race with further encouragement. His confidence was already growing after his recent strong performances and this will only add to it. He\u2019s clearly a rider with a very strong future and riding as he did on Saturday will gladden his team Decathlon CMA CGM while also giving UAE Emirates XRG a tinge of regret.<\/p>\n
That squad tried to sign him in 2024 but he turned them down, and also others such as Soudal Quick-Step, Lidl-Trek, EF Education EasyPost and Groupama-FDJ.<\/p>\n
As he told Cyclist at the time, he settled for less money out of a sense of loyalty to the Decathlon setup which had supported him as a younger rider.<\/p>\n
\u201cI realized that staying with a familiar team and environment was better than getting a bigger pay cheque elsewhere,\u201d he stated. \u201cI had a great experience with them as a junior and they\u2019ve helped develop me to this point. I want to continue this upward journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He has certainly done just that.<\/p>\n
Next up is Itzulia Basque Country and then the Ardennes Classics, with another clash with Poga\u010dar on the cards in the latter events.<\/p>\n
Strade Bianche will help him believe a very big result is possible in those races.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt definitely gives you a lot of confidence, especially in a race like this where I didn\u2019t really know the roads,\u201d he said on Saturday. \u201cI knew I had the technical skills but, well, it was a race I was discovering.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo finish second and beat all the other solid riders that were at the start except Poga\u010dar, it really gives me confidence for the future. It shows that the work paid off this winter and that I can play among the best this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2264673662.jpg”] Shane Stokes Published March 7, 2026 03:35PM For once the hype may be spot on. It\u2019s a measure of Paul Seixas\u2019 talent that the 19 year old\u2014who is a full eight years younger than Tadej Poga\u010dar\u2014finished just one minute behind the world champion in what is his first Strade Bianche. It\u2019s also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1814456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1814456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1814456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1814456\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1814456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1814456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1814456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2265266800.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")
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