Seixas chooses caution at Roc d’Azur less than 24 hours after Il Lombardia triumph

Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) spent time in the leading group but opted to take no risks during his spontaneous cameo in the world of mountain biking at the Roc d’Azur on Sunday morning. 

Fresh from taking his first Monument victory and becoming the youngest winner of Il Lombardia on Saturday, Seixas made the quick trip to Fréjus to take to the start of the mountain bike event. 

Despite the rapid turnaround from racing in Italy and limited ambitions on the day, the 20-year-old spent some time among the leading group. 

His challenge eventually faded on a descent where he chose to not take any risks, confirming the Frenchman was riding for pleasure rather than victory, as he had indicated when announcing his participation.

Former XCO World champion Jordan Sarrou claimed victory in the men’s race for the sixth time in his career.

The Frenchman beat Canada’s Cole Punchard in a sprint finish to take his sixth victory at the Roc d’Azur. 

Punchard claimed the bronze medal in this year’s XCO World Championships, which took place at the end of August in Val di Sole, behind Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), who won his second title.

Sarrou and Punchard finished the 55km course that featured 1,275m of elevation in under two hours and twenty minutes, with Norwegian rider Østen Brovold Midtsundstad taking third. 

Meanwhile, Seixas crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 31 minutes alongside Bruno Armirail (Visma | Lease a Bike), 13 minutes behind Sarrou. 

Post-race, the 20-year-old confirmed that the day out on the mountain bike was about the enjoyment rather than the result, and thus he wasn't prepared to take any risks.

"I wanted to have fun. I kept up at the start while the terrain wasn't too technical because I could see there were guys there to race seriously, and I didn't want to get in their way," Seixas said in quotes collected by RMC Sport.

"Once I hit the first descent, I realised I couldn't keep up with the pace at all technically. I moved aside and let them pass. I waited for Bruno (Armirail) on the descent, and we rode the course together. It was nice; I enjoyed it and took it easy."

He explained how his lengthy time without riding a mountain bike made the race particularly challenging and how there were a few sketchy moments which made his decision to ease up, a straightforward one.

"We pushed a bit on the descents, but at one point my arm started hurting, so I eased off. It was cool. I'm not really built for mountain biking yet; it was more about the experience. It had been over a year since I last rode a mountain bike. I really enjoyed it," he said.  

"It’s not a very long race, so it was manageable; I was motivated to do it, and that’s what counts. I had a few close calls on the descents. If I come back, I’ll need to train more—at least for the downhill sections. I preferred not to take any risks; finishing with a broken collarbone wouldn't be cool."