'It’s incredible… it’s just crazy' - Seixas underlines his wonderkid status

“It’s incredible,” Seixas said to CyclingProNet after securing his first WorldTour stage race lead. “I was aiming to win this time trial to start the race on the right foot. But to do it like this… it’s just crazy.”

Seixas was in a league of his own. His time of 17:09 on the 13.8 kilometre course proved untouchable, putting 23 seconds into Kévin Vauquelin, a rider he knows well from training sessions.

“It’s really nice to see him at that level as well,” Seixas added. “We trained together in the time trial earlier this week. I think it promises a good week.”

The scale of Seixas’ advantage over general classification rivals immediately reshaped the race. He gained 51 seconds on Isaac del Toro and 1 minute 16 on Juan Ayuso, giving the Frenchman a significant buffer heading into the mountains.

But Seixas is not getting carried away. “It’s a big step, for sure,” he said. “But there are still five very hard stages. Every day will be tough.”

Despite the cushion, he expects relentless pressure. “It shows that I’ll have to be solid every day. There are very strong riders at the start. It’s a very prestigious race. It’s not decided in a time trial.”

What the ride has given him, however, is belief. “It gives me a lot of confidence,” Seixas said. “And of course, wearing the yellow jersey. It’s a good situation for me and I hope it continues like this.”

While the time trial has given Seixas the lead, he views the week ahead as a broader examination of his development. “This race is very important for me,” he explained. “It’s a step I wanted to validate. It will show how much I’ve improved in terms of durability, in repeating efforts like this day after day.”

That, more than the stage win itself, is the real objective. “I really want to achieve a strong overall result,” Seixas said. “And right now, I’ve put myself in a good position to do that.”