'The biggest risk is being afraid' - Seixas embraces bold racing to back up Basque Country lead

“I knew this was the stage that suited me best to create gaps,” he said after the race. “The idea was to try and win the race over the long term.”

That didn’t make the effort any easier once he was alone off the front. “After three minutes, I thought maybe I had gone too early,” Seixas admitted. “I realised it was going to be very long. But I managed it.”

Behind him, the favourites hesitated. The gap started to open and, once it did, nobody really came close to closing it again.

For the Decathlon CMA-CGM, the attack never felt like a gamble. “The biggest risk is being afraid to attack,” he said. “I asked myself what I really had to lose.”

In doing so, he claimed his second victory of the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country and the third win of his professional career. The manner of it stood out just as much: a 26.1 kilometre solo, the longest solo WorldTour victory by a teenager in the 21st century, according to journalist Jonas Creteur.

Although he holds a commanding lead, with his closest rival Primož Roglič at 1 minute and 59 seconds, the French prodigy does not want to celebrate too early.

“There are still four very hard stages and not much recovery,” he said. “There will be good days and bad days. The goal is to take advantage of the good ones like now, and manage the others.”

What is changing already by his performances is how he is seen in the bunch. The jersey brings a different kind of attention. “You are more recognised and riders pay more attention,” Seixas said. “But when it comes to positioning, it’s still every team for itself.”

His ride also came with a striking benchmark. On the climb of the San Miguel de Aralar, Seixas reportedly beat the previous reference time set by Fabio Aru at the Vuelta a España 2014 by more than two minutes.

“I think cycling has evolved,” he said. “A lot of things have changed. Training is different, we eat more on the bike. That makes a difference.”

He was quick to add some perspective. “More experienced riders can probably say more about that,” he said. “But today I felt incredible. Sometimes you just have those days where you don’t really know how you’re doing it.”