Seixas Impresses in Strade Bianche Debut, Signals Future Challenge to Pogačar

Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) is emerging as a significant challenger to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Despite finishing second to Pogačar at Strade Bianche on Saturday, the 19-year-old Frenchman demonstrated a performance that suggests he won’t be easily outpaced for long.

Seixas, a rising talent in the sport, has shown considerable progress since his debut season in 2025. A stage win and second overall at the Volta ao Algarve earlier this year were followed by a victory at the Faun Ardèche Classic, building anticipation for his first encounter with Pogačar at Strade Bianche.

Close Contest on the White Roads

While unable to match Pogačar’s winning move, Seixas distinguished himself as the best of the rest, finishing well ahead of other top riders. He described his ambition for the race, stating, “It was a remarkably ambitious objective – I’d never done the race, I knew almost nothing about the gravel sectors.”

Seixas leveraged his cyclo-cross background, despite retiring from the discipline two years ago, to navigate the challenging terrain. He was among a select group of nine riders to stay with Pogačar as his UAE team split the race on Monte Sante Marie, and nearly followed the World Champion’s winning attack approximately 80km from the finish.

Tactical Challenges and a Promising Future

Seixas faced a tactical challenge when Pogačar’s teammate, Isaac del Toro, impeded his attempt to follow the race-winning move. “They played the team card. Del Toro was blocking. He really didn’t want me to receive past. I was going by him, he was going by me, and he was breaking in front of me. I lost a bit of time on the descent,” Seixas explained.

Despite the setback, Seixas almost regained contact with Pogačar, forcing the Slovenian to re-accelerate. “I reckon he was more managing his effort, whereas I was going all out,” Seixas acknowledged. “He was looking back a few times, and seeing I was coming back, so he re-accelerated. He was more in management mode. I lacked 500 metres. But that’s how it is. He was just stronger, he is the best rider in the world. No regrets.”

Seixas then battled with Del Toro, eventually dropping him on the final climb of Via Santa Caterina to secure second place, one minute behind Pogačar.

Confidence Boost for Future Challenges

Despite missing the win by a minute, Seixas remained optimistic. “One minute… it’s one minute too much, the minute that makes him win. It’s not so much, that’s right, but it’s still a minute,” he said. He emphasized the confidence gained from his performance. “To do this in a race that’s new to me, to reach second and beat every other rider at the start apart from Pogačar, that gives me a lot of confidence for what’s to come. It shows that my hard work has paid off and that I can play among the best this year.”