'He's human too' - Lorenzo Finn inspired by Seixas comparisons as he steps up to WorldTour

Lorenzo Finn will race with the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team in the final Italian races of the season, completing his 2026 season of professional apprenticeship before following in the footsteps of rival super talent Paul Seixas and formally joining the WorldTour in 2027.

Finn and Seixas were rivals as juniors and they appear destined to become Grand Tour rivals in the years to come. 

The Frenchman won Giro della Lunigiana as a Junior and then won the Tour de L'Avenir in 2025 in his first season with Decathlon CMA CGM before finishing fourth on his Tour de France debut this season. Seixas turned 20 during the World Championships in Montreal, where cramps ended his chances in the road race.

Finn is three months younger than Seixas but his career has followed a similar trajectory, albeit with two years in the under-23 category. He twice finished second in the Giro della Lunigiana and he won the under-23 Worlds in Rwanda last year.

In 2026, Finn won the Giro d'Italia Next Gen and the Tour de L'Avenir, racing with the Red Bull Development team, though he often joined the Red Bull pro team and he won his pro races at the Sibiu Cycling Tour in the summer. 

Seixas appears physically stronger than Finn at the moment, especially after finishing his first Tour, but the Anglo-Italian also rode the elite men's road race in Montreal, finishing 55th, while Seixas was hit by cramps and was 15th.  

"He's human too," Finn pointed out to La Gazzetta dello Sport, as he looked back on the World Championships and prepared for his final races of 2026.

"If we look at who was at the front of the race, we're talking about riders with years of experience in the WorldTour. Del Toro was the only Under-23 rider there.

"Paul was my rival in the younger ranks. And seeing what he's achieved is motivating. I hope to follow the same path." 

Seixas is expected to end his season at Il Lombardia on October 10. Finn will also be in Italy and will ride the Giro dell’Emilia this Saturday and then Tre Valli Varesine (October 6) and Gran Piemonte (October 8).

"They're shorter than the Worlds, which is better…." Finn joked after admitting he suffered during the 280km race. "I was dead at the finish but it was a great experience. I felt pretty good for the first three or four hours. Then the lights gradually went out.

"But I'm happy to have raced (with the elite riders), it's part of laying the foundations for the future. When you race 280km, you feel them. I'm used to racing 160-170km at a different rhythm. But I enjoyed rubbing shoulders with the big-name riders, for as long as I could." 

Finn will enjoy the off-season before officially joining the Red Bull WorldTour squad, alongside Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley.

Red Bull have still to decide their Grand Tour goals and leaders for 2027 but Finn is already a stage race talent and is keen to make his Grand Tour debut as soon as possible.

"It's be great to ride the Giro d'Italia," Finn told La Gazzetta. "The Vuelta could be good too, perhaps with more pro races and experience in my legs. I haven't spoken to the team yet, so we'll see what happens."