Strava rejects eight segments from Paul Seixas' Il Lombardia victory as he breaks Pogacar's climbing record

Paul Seixas' historic Il Lombardia victory has sparked an unusual discussion about his Strava data. While the Frenchman's record-breaking Civiglio times remained visible, eight other segments from his winning ride were reportedly rejected by the platform.

The 20-year-old completed the decisive ascent in 11 minutes and 54 seconds, according to Velon, beating Pogačar's recorded 2022 time of 12:32 by 38 seconds.

An unusual detail emerged when Seixas uploaded his winning ride to Strava.

According to RMC Sport, eight segments were excluded because the platform's automated system considered the performances implausible without external assistance. The filter is designed to identify potentially invalid activities, including those completed on electric bikes, and does not constitute an accusation against Seixas.

Crucially, the rejected segments were separate from the Civiglio comparisons, which remained visible on Strava.

The numbers behind Seixas' record-breaking ascent offer another perspective on his decisive Il Lombardia attack. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Frenchman averaged 460 watts and peaked at 620 watts across the 4.1-kilometre Civiglio climb, which averages 9.8%.

His average speed was 19.86km/h, with a vertical ascent rate exceeding 2,000 metres per hour. Based on an estimated weight of 64 kilograms, his effort equates to approximately 7.1 watts per kilogram.

Strava divides the climb into two segments. On the first, Seixas recorded 8:45, compared with 9:04 for Giulio Ciccone and Pogačar's previous time of 9:09. On the second, the Frenchman posted 7:08, beating Pogačar's recorded 7:29.

Yet there is an important qualification to the comparison. Pogačar's times date from 2022, well before the Slovenian reached his subsequent level, and he did not compete in this year's Il Lombardia.

Despite Seixas' spectacular display, his Civiglio ascent was not necessarily his strongest climbing performance of 2026.

As Domestique's previous analysis highlighted, the Frenchman produced more power for longer during the Faun Ardèche Classic in February, where he dropped Matteo Jorgenson.

Nevertheless, Seixas' performance was decisive. With 19 kilometres remaining, Seixas attacked, distancing Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro before Tom Pidcock and Ciccone also lost contact.

The Frenchman eventually reached Como 48 seconds ahead of Enric Mas, becoming the youngest winner in Il Lombardia history.

Afterwards, Seixas explained that he had made his move earlier than planned because the pace at the foot of the climb was not sufficiently demanding.

“I managed to make the difference at the moment I chose. Maybe a bit earlier, because I felt the rhythm was not high enough at the start of the climb,” he said.

“There were some not really steep parts, so I had to manage my efforts really well and accelerate in the hard parts.”