Seixas sends statement with solo masterclass victory at Faun-Ardèche Classic

Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) was in a league of his own as he soloed over 40km to victory at the Faun-Ardèche Classic in Guilherand-Granges. 

One of the hottest properties in the sport currently, Seixas once more delivered on the hype, building on a successful Volta ao Algarve last week. 

Seixas split the race on the slopes of the Mur de Royes with around 45km remaining as he put the power on the pedals. Matteo Jorgenson, the last rider able to stick on the French teenager's wheel, before the elastic snapped with 42km remaining. 

The final 40km were a demonstration of all things Seixas and what makes him one of the most exciting stars of the peloton as he romped his way to his second professional victory.

In the end, Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) battled his way to 2nd place at 1:48, whilst Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) took 3rd and Jorgenson 4th in a three-man sprint.

In truth, Seixas’ performance was even more emphatic than his highly impressive Volta ao Algarve performance, where he won a stage and finished 2nd overall, and another indication of how talented he already is, despite still being a teenager.

The race kicked off from Guilherand-Granges, and a breakaway formed featuring seven riders, including Alexey Faure Prost (Picnic PostNL), Geoffrey Bouchard and Theo Lévêque (TotalEnergies), Eivind Broholt Fougner (Unibet Rose Rockets), Jaakko Hänninen and Laurens Huys (Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur).

Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) was among those who abandoned the race before the mid-way point, as the tension progressively started to build.

With around 60km remaining, the breakaway began to split with Lévêque and Broholt Fougner out front, and Faure Prost in the chase. Meanwhile, the remnants of the break who had been distanced would be joined by Fabio Christen (Pinarello-Q36.5), who attacked from the peloton.

Through the second passage of the finish line with 53km remaining, the front duo held over a minute on the peloton with the solo Faure Prost and the chase group in between.

The first significant action point came when Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) pushed the pace towards the base of the Mur de Royes with around 45km remaining. 

The teenager's rapid tempo shelled most of the other pre-race contenders out of contention, with Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious), and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) being those who could hold onto the flying Frenchman’s wheel for the longest.

The elastic continued to snap, and only Jorgenson could go with the Frenchman, and the duo pulled clear with around 45km remaining, with Christen and Martinez in the chase behind at 0:20.

With 42km remaining, Seixas distanced Jorgenson, going solo, whilst the American would be reunited with Christen and Martinez.

The following kilometres would see Seixas’ advantage continue to expand towards 1:30 as he showcased his excellent descending skills alongside his power and strength. 

A second chase group on the road featuring Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda (Movistar), Davide Piganzoli (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), and Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana) were 2:00 behind Seixas, and around half a minute behind the first chase group.

Christen saw himself distanced from the first chase group inside the final 5km, but managed to return with 2km to go, and would eventually launch an attack trying to get clear before the sprint. 

The trio would reach a track stand pace, but ultimately Christen proved to be the quickest to the line to take 2nd with Martinez in 3rd.