Paul Seixas Accuses Rival of Tactical Blocking at Strade Bianche, Finishes Second to Pogačar

The cycling world continues to be amazed by 19-year-old Paul Seixas. The French top talent from Decathlon CMA CGM produced an outstanding ride on Saturday to finish second on his debut in Strade Bianche. Afterwards, Seixas made a striking comment about the way UAE Team Emirates–XRG raced — and Isaac del Toro in particular, with the Mexican crossing the line just behind him in third.

“Second place was the highest possible result for me today,” Seixas said in his flash interview, referring to the dominant victory of Tadej Pogačar. “He was like he was in 2024 and 2025 — one or two steps better than the rest.” Seixas could only grab his hat off to the Slovenian. “But I’m very happy with second place. It’s crazy to be here.”

Del Toro’s Tactics Questioned

On Monte Sante Marie, where Pogačar made the winning move, Seixas was briefly able to follow the world champion. “It was a bit strange, due to the fact that when he attacked I tried to follow. But Del Toro blocked me afterwards — not once or twice, but three times. They chose to play the race that way,” Seixas said, keeping his criticism measured.

“I then tried to close the gap, but when Pogačar has twenty or thirty metres, that is already a huge distance,” he continued. “I got close again, but it was about five hundred metres too much. On top of that, I could spot that Pogačar was controlling his effort. He looked behind and simply didn’t want me on his wheel.”

Seixas Outpaces Del Toro for Second

In the closing phase, Seixas and Del Toro rode clear of the chasing group together. On the steep climb up to the Piazza del Campo in Siena, the Frenchman then beat the Mexican in the battle for second place. “It was very hard, because Del Toro didn’t want to work — which is understandable with Pogačar up the road. The fact that I was still able to drop him on the final climb is incredible,” Seixas concluded with satisfaction.

Seixas’ Impressive Season

This result follows a strong start to the season for Seixas, who claimed a stage win at the Volta ao Algarve and finished second overall. He also won the Faun Ardèche Classic with a solo attack, sparking excitement in France about his potential as a future Tour de France contender.

Seixas has been a fan of Strade Bianche since childhood, stating he has been watching the race on TV since he was twelve or thirteen years old.