'Of course he’s a threat' - UAE on alert after Seixas breakthrough

His win on the Mur de Huy may have rewritten the record books, making him the youngest winner in the race’s long history.

Among rivals and team managers, the reaction was immediate. Mauro Gianetti, general manager of UAE Team Emirate-XRG, was among those watching closely at the finish.

“He showed he has everything to become a great champion,” Gianetti said to Het NIeuwsblad. “He took responsibility as the favourite, his team controlled the race, and he controlled the final climb.”

Such praise is not handed out lightly, particularly given the names Seixas is already being measured against. His performance has inevitably drawn comparisons with Tadej Pogačar, who has dominated uphill one-day races in recent years.

That makes the next test all the more intriguing. With Liège-Bastogne-Liège looming, attention has already turned to whether Seixas can carry his form into a very different challenge.

“Of course he will be an important rival,” Gianetti admitted. “With this level, he will play a role.”

Seixas, however, was quick to downplay expectations. “Sunday is a completely different race,” he said after the race in the flash interview. “Different course, different riders. But it is a goal for me and for the team.”

It will not be the first time the young Frenchman goes head to head with Tadej Pogačar in a Monument. The two already crossed paths at Il Lombardia last year, where Pogačar surged to his fifth consecutive victory, while Paul Seixas finished seventh, more than four minutes down.

Earlier, Seixas had taken third place at the European Road Championships, again behind Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, conceding just over three and a half minutes.

So far this season, they have faced each other once in a one-day race, at Strade Bianche. Pogačar took the win, but Seixas was the rider who managed to follow him the longest, eventually finishing exactly one minute behind. 

During the decisive move, Seixas later suggested he was briefly blocked by Pogačar’s teammate, Isaac Del Toro, whom he later beat in the battle for second place.

Alongside Pogačar, two-time winner Remco Evenepoel will also line up on Sunday, aiming to prevent the Slovenian from claiming a fourth title.

But after Wednesday’s display, UAE are no longer looking at just one threat.