Jarno Widar takes confidence from Paul Seixas’s rise: 'I have beaten him before'

For much of their junior careers, Jarno Widar and Paul Seixas appeared to be travelling along the same road. Widar was among the few riders capable of troubling the Frenchman, beating him twice at the Tour de l’Avenir in 2025 and establishing himself as one of Belgium’s brightest prospects.

Their paths have separated sharply this season.

While Seixas announced himself at the highest level with victory at La Flèche Wallonne and second places behind Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche and Liége-Bastogne-Liége, Widar spent much of the spring away from competition. A promising first year with Lotto Intermarché became a succession of medical setbacks before it had properly begun.

Speaking toHet Nieuwsblad at the Tour de Suisse, Widar admitted that the difference between the pair has grown. He is not convinced it has to remain that way.

“Seixas has been training seriously for a few years longer than I have,” the 20-year-old said. “There is still room for me to improve. At the same time, you never know how a body will develop. All I can do is become the best version of myself.”

Widar returned to racing with sixth place at the GP Gippingen before lining up in Switzerland. The result offered reassurance after a spring in which he repeatedly found himself searching for explanations.

The first warning signs appeared in February. Widar felt unusually flat and initially assumed he was simply short of form. Blood tests eventually suggested something else was wrong. An illness followed, forcing him to miss races including Strade Bianche.

Then came the knee injury.

After falling during training, Widar developed prepatellar friction syndrome, a condition that can cause pain and irritation at the front of the knee. Surgery was considered, but the team initially chose rest. Four weeks without riding brought little improvement. Widar and his medical staff agreed to wait one final week before making a decision.

During that week, the symptoms began to ease. “It was mentally difficult,” he said. “There was plenty of frustration. But I could start training again at the beginning of May.”

The knee can still make itself felt occasionally, although Widar no longer considers it a meaningful limitation. Just as importantly, the heavy and powerless sensation that troubled him at the start of the year has disappeared.

He has not yet been able to complete an altitude training camp, leaving him short of the preparation enjoyed by many of his rivals. His recent training numbers nevertheless suggest that his condition is returning quickly.

The months on the sidelines were made more complicated by Seixas’s rapid ascent. Widar had targeted La Flèche Wallonne himself, only to watch his former rival win on the Mur de Huy.

There was disappointment, but little jealousy.

“Of course it was not pleasant to see him win a race I had really wanted to ride,” Widar said. “But watching what he is doing also gives me confidence. I have beaten him in the past.”

Remco Evenepoel has previously discussed an estimated functional threshold power of around 425 watts. Based on the body weight mentioned at the time, that would translate to approximately 6.5 watts per kilogram.

Widar suggested his own figures are not far removed from that benchmark, but immediately added some perspective.

“Power meters are not always equally accurate, and the body weight being used might not be exact,” he said. “The important difference is that Evenepoel has already proved those numbers in competition. I have not.”

In Widar’s view, an FTP above 6.5 watts per kilogram has become almost essential for anyone hoping to contest the general classification at a Grand Tour. He suspects Tadej Pogačar is capable of approaching seven watts per kilogram.

The numbers support the idea that Widar could eventually develop into a stage race leader. He is still reluctant to accept the label.

“I do not want to decide already that I am a Grand Tour rider,” he said. “I have never raced one, so I have no idea how my body will respond.”

He may get his first real answer later this season. Provided his recovery continues as planned, Widar is set to make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España, with the Tour of Austria and the Vuelta a Burgos expected to form part of his preparation.

For now, however, he is reluctant to attach a specific result or target to his return.

“My ambition is straightforward,” Widar said. “I want to be as good as possible in every race.”