Seixas Hopes to Shine on Monument Debut at Il Lombardia

France has gone wild about Paul Seixas after his superb performance and third place at last week’s European Championships, raising hopes that the 19-year-old super talent can be just as impressive on his debut in a Monument Classic at lombardy.

The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale teenager will end his debut season at WorldTour level on Saturday, trying to go with Tadej Pogacar’s decisive attack and at least finish in the top ten in Bergamo.

“The team’s goal is to aim for a top 10. Personally, I’ll see how I feel, it’s my debut in a Monument Classic,” seixas said in a video call with French media and Cyclingnews.

“The two biggest favourites are obviously Pogi and Remco. UAE also have Isaac Del Toro, who’s very strong at the moment, but there are a lot of opponents, which is normal, it’s a Monument.

“I prefer to focus on how I feel. I feel good. I was worried about if I’d recovered after the European Championships and the World Championships because they were tough but when I did the recon I felt good, so I’m optimistic for il Lombardia.”

Pogačar is expected to attack on the Passo di Ganda, with 40km to race, as he did in 2021 and 2023 when he won two of his four Il Lombardia victories.