'I won a Monument Classic but to beat Tadej is something else' - Paul Seixas stays modest but wants to be the best

Paul Seixas still refused any comparisons with Tadej Pogačar, even after winning Il Lombardia with a solo attack, but he is inspired to try to beat the Slovenian in the years to come and so follow a similar career path.

Pogačar won his first Tour de France in 2020, one day before he turned 22. A few months later he won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, his first monument Classic. Seixas turned 20 on September 24 and confirmed his special talents with victory at Il Lombardia, after finishing fourth on his Tour debut while still 19.

"Honestly, I would not even put myself second behind Tadej Pogačar," Seixas said modestly in his Il Lombardia press conference as the sun set over Como and he was still on an emotional high.

"Tadej is the best, but there's a lot of great riders. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And it's not one race that makes you better than others. I don't want to compare myself with anyone.

"I don't really care about being the youngest or whatever, I just care about winning. Today I won a Monument and that's beautiful, that's all I will remember." 

Seixas is still grounded despite his success but he is naturally ambitious and so he is aiming to one day beat Pogačar.

"He's the best. It's a motivation to see him at his best level. I honestly hope he will still make progress in the next few years because it's good for cycling. He makes everyone improve because he's so strong that everyone needs to work harder," Seixas suggested.

"It's a dream for me to one day really compete against Tadej, like really be able to compete. Because he's the best rider in the world.

"For the moment it's a dream but I'm working for my dream. I won a Monument Classic but to beat Tadej is something else.

"Maybe I will never beat him but I will always try. If you don't try, you will never succeed."

Seixas does not feel destined for greatness. He knows he has to work for it.

"There's no natural destiny, you have to make your own destiny," Seixas said, responding to a question from Domestique.

"Things don't happen magically, you have to work for it. Sometimes you lose, like I did in the Worlds.

"You make mistakes but you have to keep your head up until the next goal. I missed the European Championships because I wanted it to be ready for Il Lombardia. I won but sometimes you lose, but that makes the victories even beautiful."