'Welcome to a new world' - Seixas fires French hopes with Ardèche exhibition

The Ardèche Classic doesn’t usually occupy the front page of L’Équipe, but this was an edition like no other. Paul Seixas’ very presence had already seen the on-site press contingent multiply in comparison to years past. His stunning victory meant the race suddenly relegated European champions Paris Saint-Germain to the inside pages of Sunday’s newspaper.

“Seixas Masterclass” trilled L’Équipe’s banner headline, though the sports daily resisted the temptation to speculate about the youngster’s possible Tour de France debut this July, preferring to focus on the shock and awe of his 40km solo raid.

The simple fact that Seixas is getting the front-page treatment at this early juncture in his career is already sign enough of how his yellow jersey potential is viewed in his home country. Thibaut Pinot had to win a stage of the Tour to get that honour. Perhaps only Bernard Hinault himself experienced such feverish home expectation before he ever rode the Tour.

L’Équipe reported how second-placed Jan Christen – surely no stranger to such exhibitions as a teammate of Tadej Pogačar – joked with third-placed Lenny Martinez about the futility of their pursuit of Seixas, who won by almost two minutes.

“How are you supposed to catch him?” Christen reportedly said. “I was looking at the gaps, and we weren’t gaining any ground! Is it his bike or what?”

Seixas had bid farewell to Christen, Martinez et al with his searing attack on the climb of Saint-Romain-de-Lerps, which featured on last year’s European Championships course. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) was the last man to hold Seixas’ wheel, but even the American had to tap out in the face of his relentless pace.

“I settled into a rhythm that suited me,” Seixas said. “My legs felt really good, so I could keep pushing and pushing again. I thought Jorgenson was bluffing, because he wasn’t taking many turns at the front, but then I saw that he couldn’t keep up. I told myself that, on a really good day, I could try a solo attack, so I kept going. I felt good, I had the strength.”

The time gap at the finish was one obvious metric of Seixas’ strength. The other was the fact that his time up the 6.9km ascent of Saint-Romain-de-Lerps matched Pogačar’s during his procession at last October’s European Championships. It also marked a 35-second improvement on Seixas’ own time in that race, when he finished in third place behind Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel. The 19-year-old’s progression is playing out in real time.

“I don’t really like comparisons with Pogačar,” Decathlon-CMA GCM sports director Sébastien Joly told RMC radio. “I would say that it’s the style of racing that has evolved in recent years and other riders are using the same type of strategy. Paul wanted to see if he was capable of it, and the answer is definitely yes…”

Le Monde hailed Seixas’ win as “another promise sown along the path of the 19-year-old prodigy,” Ouest France asked if he was “already a cycling superstar,” and Le Dauphiné Libéré claimed that he had “Pogačar in his head” during his exhibition. The man himself was a little more circumspect.

“It was incredible, I felt amazing. I felt really good all day. On the climbs, I was doing the bare minimum,” Seixas told L’Équipe TV after his second professional victory. The first came atop the Alto da Fóia at last week’s Volta ao Algarve, where he also took second place behind Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek).

“We had a very tough training camp in the Sierra Nevada. My coach prepared me perfectly. The winter went very well, so it allowed me to make a significant leap forward. Even today, I’m seeing the benefits of all that work; I feel like I’m still getting stronger.”

That’s a sobering thought for those trailing in his wake on Saturday, and for those watching his development from further afield. The Lyon native has opted against racing the Drôme Classic on Sunday, but he will be back in action next weekend at Strade Bianche, where Pogačar makes his seasonal debut. Another test of his progress awaits.

“Of course, it will be completely different, with Pogačar and other very strong riders, perhaps a notch above,” Seixas said. “Strade Bianche is always full of surprises, so we’ll see, but I’m in good shape. All I need now is a bit of luck.”

Last year, after making the leap from the junior ranks to the WorldTour, Seixas exceeded all expectations across the season. On the evidence of his first two outings of the new year, expectations have been set still higher for 2026. “Welcome to a new world,” read the opening line of L’Équipe’s report. There are plenty more front pages to come.