‘He blocked me’ – Seixas explains moment he lost Pogacar at Strade Bianche

Paul Seixas came closer than anyone to being in the same race as Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche, and the Frenchman was rewarded for his efforts with second place in Siena. Still only 19 years of age and in just his second season as a professional, Seixas saw his stock rise still further after his assured debut in the Tuscan race, and he cut an upbeat figure in the mixed zone afterwards.

“It would have been ambitious to set the podium as an objective today because I’d never done the race before,” Seixas said. “I barely knew the sectors, so I was playing a bit on my talents as a retired cyclocross man. I stopped two years ago but I managed a bit anyway. I fought all day for this result, but above all the work of the team was exceptional all day.”

Seixas arrived in Tuscany on the back of an effervescent start to 2026, with a stage win at the Volta ao Algarve and a crushing victory at last weekend’s Ardèche Classic. Despite his tender years, the Decathlon-CMA CGM rider was still viewed by many as the man most likely to challenge Pogačar, and he duly lived up to his billing.

Pogačar launched what proved to be the race-winning attack on the long gravel sector of Monte Sante Marie with 80km to go, but Seixas scrambled to get back up to him after a tussle with Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

Seixas closed to within a metre of Pogačar on the steepest part of the sector, but the Slovenian dialled up the pressure just enough to distance him and forge clear to claim a record fourth Strade Bianche victory. Still, Seixas avoided burning himself when he reached out to touch the flame, and he rode an assured race thereafter.

“I tried to follow him at the start when he attacked on the descent, but UAE played a team game there and Del Toro blocked me,” Seixas said. “Del Toro really didn’t want me coming past. I passed him, then he passed me again and he braked in front of me. I had to close the gap that was made, and I was a few metres short. 

“I gave everything to try to follow Pogačar. But I also had a lot to lose – if I went too deep at 80km to go, it risked being difficult. But I managed to hang in there, and I fought all day for a nice second place.”

Although Pogačar amassed a maximum lead of two minutes, Seixas would halve that deficit by the finish in Siena after he attacked from the chasing group with Del Toro with 25km remaining. He proceeded to drop Del Toro on the steep haul up the Via Santa Caterina in the final kilometre, though he downplayed the significance of closing the gap on Pogačar in the finale.

“A minute is already a minute too many,” Seixas smiled. “He went with 80km to go. He’s just phenomenal. It’s not too much, but it’s still a minute.”

Seixas conceded that the race had been decided as a contest on Monte Sante Marie, where Pogačar was simply operating on a different level.

“I tried to catch up and I came close, I was only 500 metres away [from the top of the climb], but Tadej was really above,” Seixas said. “When I caught up, he turned around and accelerated. He was in control and I was going flat out. But he’s the strongest rider in the world, so no regrets.”

Seixas will not race again until Itzulia Basque Country in a month’s time, and on Saturday’s evidence, he will be among the favourites for victory. He will also look with increasing confidence to the Ardennes Classics, where he will again face off against Pogačar.

“This is a race that I’m discovering and to finish second gives a lot of confidence for what’s to come,” Seixas said. “It shows that I’m progressing.”