‘He's better than Pog was at that age’ - Geraint Thomas makes bold Seixas claim

Speaking alongside Luke Rowe on the Watts Occurringpodcast, Thomas, who now serves as Director of Racing at Netcompany-Ineos, was full of praise for the 20-year-old Frenchman following his breakthrough victory at Il Lombardia, where he delivered Decathlon CMA CGM's first Monument triumph.

"He's better than Pog when Pog was that age," Thomas said.

And according to the Welshman, the comparison is about far more than Seixas's results.

"He's not just the wins, but just how he seems. He just seems more advanced, more developed," Thomas explained. "It's going to be an exciting few years for him and for France and for your team."

The latter remark was directed at Rowe, Thomas's former teammate at Ineos Grenadiers, who has been working as a sports director at Decathlon since 2025 and has witnessed Seixas's rapid rise from inside the team.

The young Frenchman has enjoyed a remarkable 2026 campaign, winning Itzulia Basque Country and La Flèche Wallonne before adding Il Lombardia to his palmarès. He also finished fourth on his Tour de France debut, although he remained almost 12 minutes behind Pogačar in the general classification.

His Lombardia victory was particularly significant. At just 20 years old, Seixas became the youngest winner of the Italian Monument since the Second World War, riding clear on the Civiglio before finishing almost a minute ahead of Enric Mas.

Despite his enthusiasm for Seixas, Thomas was careful not to suggest that the Frenchman had already reached Pogačar's level. In fact, he believes the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader may not have reached his physical limit yet.

"Pog's still improving," Thomas said, adding that the Slovenian had been better in 2026 than ever before.

Rowe questioned whether Pogačar could continue getting stronger beyond the age of 30, but Thomas disagreed.

"Mentally, if he can still commit and do everything right, he can keep improving till he's like 35, in my eyes, Pog."

For Thomas, the biggest question is whether Pogačar can maintain the motivation required to remain at the top of the sport for another seven years.

"He's unique, don't get me wrong, Pog," he said.

"Really, the reason that it's like, 'Whoa,' is because he's done it for so long. That's why it's the mental side for me, 100%."

Thomas also suggested that Pogačar might eventually need to become more selective with his racing programme.

"Unless he completely burns himself out, which he would have to start to rein it in with the Classics and the Grand Tours," Thomas explained.

"In my eyes, no reason why he can't keep improving."

Rowe also questioned how long Pogačar would remain motivated to compete at the highest level, suggesting that the Slovenian's financial success could eventually influence his decision to retire.

"It's just gonna come a point, not when his body says no, it's just when he says no," he argued.

The discussion also turned to whether Pogačar's dominance has made professional cycling less unpredictable. Rowe believes the Slovenian's absence from several major races in the latter part of the season produced more entertaining racing.

"I still believe that racing's more exciting without him," Rowe admitted.

It was a view he knew would attract criticism, having previously faced a backlash for making a similar argument.

"We got annihilated for saying it, but I stand by it," he said.

Rowe stressed that his opinion was not intended as criticism of Pogačar himself.

"I'm one of his biggest fans. I love the spectacle when he goes 50km, whatever it is. I love how diverse he is."

Nevertheless, he enjoyed the uncertainty that returned when the Slovenian was not on the start line.

"It was nice for a few months just to go, 'I don't know who's gonna win today.'"

Thomas agreed that the change was particularly noticeable at the Vuelta a España, where Pogačar's withdrawal transformed the ambitions of his rivals.

"As soon as he went, everyone was like, 'Ooh, hang on, we're not racing for second now. We can actually win this,'" Thomas explained.

"And suddenly it's a different mentality."

Rowe suggested that Pogačar's presence would also have changed the dynamic of the World Championships.

"If Pog was there, he'd have picked his moment and gone solo, I'm pretty sure."

Instead, the uncertainty over the outcome made for a tactical contest that Rowe found particularly enjoyable.

Despite their differing opinions on Pogačar's impact on racing, both agreed that the Slovenian remains the benchmark.

"We can't do a pod without focusing on Pog for a bit," Rowe joked.

"He's just the best in the world by a long way, isn't he?"