18-year-old prodigy emerges as one of Dauphiné’s top 10 climbers: "They were climbing so fast"

The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider has been on a remarkable trajectory. Just last year, Seixas dominated the junior scene, racking up a string of victories before making the jump to the WorldTour squad over the winter. He’s already shown flashes of brilliance at the highest level, such as when he gave up the win to teammate Nicolas Prodhomme in the final stage of the Tour of the Alps. After a strong performance in Wednesday’s time trial, Seixas once again showcased his enormous talent on Friday.

It was Visma | Lease a Bike who turned up the heat on the penultimate climb, the tough Côte du Mont-Saxonnex (5.5 kilometers at 8.6%). The peloton quickly shattered into a select group of favorites, with only about ten riders reaching the summit together. And these weren’t just any ten riders: Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Jorgenson... all the big names were there. And who else? Seixas. The young French talent impressively managed to hold the wheels of cycling’s elite, while others like Lenny Martinez, for example, had already been dropped. On the final climb, Seixas powered to a tenth-place finish, moving him up to a highly respectable eighth in the general classification.

"Honestly, I felt good,” Paul Seixas told Cyclism’Actu after crossing the line. “The team did a fantastic job, we were well-positioned all day. I managed to slot into the right group on the Côte du Mont-Saxonnex and saved some energy for the final climb. And there, it was just about pushing the pedals.”

What stood out most to Seixas was the furious pace set by UAE Team Emirates. “They were climbing so fast… I had to ride at my own rhythm. Maybe I started a bit too hard, but I think I held on well after that. I stayed mentally strong all the way to the finish. It was steep, which suited me, and the stage was short, that helped too,” said the young climber from Lyon.

With two brutal mountain stages still to come in what is shaping up to be a grueling final weekend, Seixas hopes to keep building on his already impressive breakthrough. “I hope tomorrow (Saturday, ed.) goes as well as today (Friday, ed.). It’ll probably be different, but I’ll approach it the same way and we’ll see what happens. What have I learned from riding with the best? That it’s really hard and the level is incredibly consistent. That’s all. I’m discovering what it’s like at the top, and it's fun.”