Pogacar and Seixas deliver 8.7 w/kg in the greatest four minute effort ever

In this piece, we’re going to analyse the most impressive performance in Liège-Bastogne-Liège history, and one of the best performances of Tadej Pogačar’s career. The rumours said that the World Champion was breaking his power PR's in training the week before La Doyenne. I think it’s safe to say the rumours were true. 

But it wasn’t as simple as it sometimes is for Pogačar to win a Monument. When many of us first tuned into live coverage, there was a 52-rider breakaway up the road that included Remco Evenepoel. 

It goes without saying that Evenepoel is a huge threat. A two-time winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Evenepoel showed his fine form a week ago by winning the Amstel Gold Race. Perhaps he couldn’t match the 4min power of Pogačar, but an early breakaway would give him a nice head start. 

Unfortunately for Evenepoel, UAE Team Emirates-XRG was as strong as ever, swapping riders on the front of the peloton hour-by-hour. By the time they reached 80 km to go, the breakaway was caught without Pogačar having to lift a finger. Everyone knew what was coming next, a gradual increasing of the pace until an all-out effort on La Redoute. 

They say that some things never change, and this year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège was no different. Pogačar waited for his teammate to do the leadout – this time it was Benoît Cosnefroy – before launching his attack on the Côte de la Redoute. 

Seixas was glued to his wheel, and the Frenchman was clearly suffering. But pedal stroke by pedal stroke, Seixas clung to Pogačar’s wheel all the way to the top of La Redoute. 

By the time the pair crested the climb, they were well clear of the rest of the field. These riders were doing nearly 8w/kg for four minutes, yet Pogačar and Seixas were completely out of sight. This was the greatest four-minute performance in the history of cycling at nearly 9w/kg. It is unfathomable, difficult to put into words. Oh and by the way, they still had 35km of racing to go. 

Pogačar and Seixas - Côte de la Redoute
Time: 3:45
Estimated Average Power: 575w (8.7w/kg)

With the chasers already 30 seconds behind, Pogačar and Seixas began working together on the road to the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. Seixas looked strong, the only rider to have ever followed Pogačar on La Redoute. 

The 19-year-old is the next big thing in cycling, that is clear. But when he began pulling with Pogačar, many viewers cringed at their TV screen. The Frenchman was wasting precious energy – or was he about to drop Pogačar on La Roche-aux-Faucons?

Seixas took the final pull into the base of La Roche-aux-Faucons, and Pogačar immediately attacked into the steepest section of the climb. The Frenchman hung on for as long as possible, but he eventually succumbed to the pressure exerted by the World Champion. 

Not only had Pogačar ridden the fastest-ever Redoute, but he also rode the fastest-ever Roche-aux-Faucons, putting 26 seconds into Seixas by the summit. 

Pogačar – La Roche-aux-Faucons
Time: 3:23
Estimated Average Power: 545w (8.3w/kg)

It was ‘checkmate’ after Roche-aux-Faucons, with Pogačar putting a minute into Seixas before coasting to the finish. The World Champion won his third Monument of the season ahead of the biggest talking point of the season: 19-year-old Paul Seixas. 

After attacking multiple times, pacing himself on the climbs, coming back to the chase group, and attacking again, Remco Evenepoel won the sprint for third ahead of Emiel Verstrynge and Egan Bernal. 

The 2026 Liège-Bastogne-Liège was something special – we saw record-breaking ascents of infamous climbs, an early breakaway by the double Olympic Champion, and a true challenger to Tadej Pogačar. 

How much longer will Pogačar’s reign last? It seems like it’s all up to Paul Seixas.