Ciccone can't believe young star Seixas pulled off Lombardy win: 'I don't have the words for it'
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Follow us on GoogleIn the absence of Tadej Pogačar, Paul Seixas set the standard on Saturday in northern Italy. The French rider from Decathlon CMA CGM left everyone in the dust on the Civiglio during the Tour of Lombardy. Enric Mas (Movistar) and Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) joined him on the podium, where they spoke of him with respect.
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Seixas surged ahead of competition on the Civiglio
On the Civiglio, Seixas decided to “just” ride at his own pace, which was simply too fast for the rest of the field.
“When Paul surged ahead on the climb, he was riding incredibly fast,” agreed Mas, who ultimately finished second, in an interview with Eurosport. “I tried to find my own pace and give everything I had left in my legs to fight for a spot on the podium.”
The Spaniard, winner of the Vuelta, managed to catch up to the riders ahead of him and thus finished second in Lombardy for the second time. “After a long and intense season, this is a wonderful way to wrap things up. Now it’s time to rest,” said a relieved Mas.
Read more below the video!
Ciccone learned onstage that Seixas is only 20
In third place was Ciccone, who was the very last rider to fall behind Seixas’s pace.
Another podium finish, following his much-discussed second-place finish at the European Championships. “This feels different, because I didn’t actually feel that great,” the Italian said.
"I quickly realized I was no longer in contention for the win when Paul pulled away. But I'm really, really happy and proud, because finishing like this on a day when you're not feeling well is also something special," the Italian says, looking on the bright side.
"Maybe I made a small mistake there by trying to follow him, and it would have been better to ride at my own pace and pace myself. But I was trying to go for something big. In hindsight, that might have been a small mistake, but Seixas was on another level on the climb and truly deserved his victory,” Ciccone reiterated.
"It's truly a phenomenon; I don't have the words for it. When I heard on stage that he's only 20... I still remember winning my first stage in the Giro when I was 21: that already felt huge, huge," he says, his eyes wide with amazement.
Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
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Latest Comments
- Great ride from Seixas, but I’m slightly surprised Evenepoel couldn’t follow when the pace went up. Was it simply fatigue, or did the climb not suit him this year?cyclechamp4510-10-2026
- Heavy legs after such a long season, yet he still wins the sprint for fourth. That’s a proper professional mentality. Best of luck at the Chrono des Nations.julien10-10-2026
- Seixas was phenomenal on the Civiglio. Evenepoel’s honesty is refreshing too—fourth place on a bad day still shows just how strong he is.tourdeforce910-10-2026
- I’m a bit confused by the photo finish explanation—if the image shows time rather than distance, how can it prove who crossed first? And why was the result not explained immediately after the race?velodromevirtuoso109-10-2026
- 13,000 captures per second is some serious technology! Still, I can understand why Ciccone felt frustrated when the margin was so tiny. Hopefully the organisers publish the full image so fans can see exactly what happened.patriciaw09-10-2026
- Evenepoel handled this well. No need to turn a razor-thin result into a bigger argument, especially with the governing body confirming the procedure. That jersey and Specialized bike combination should look absolutely brilliant in Lombardy.cadencekingm09-10-2026
- A finish decided by fractions of a second will always create debate, but the UEC’s explanation of the EtherLynx system sounds pretty conclusive. Photo finishes are often misunderstood—the image represents time, not a normal view of the riders’ position. Fair play to Ciccone for accepting it graciously.pedalpowe2909-10-2026
- This feels a bit overdramatic from the media. Until Roglic or his agent confirms it, all these “insiders” are just guessing. Still, seeing him line up with Pidcock would be pretty cool.breakawaybikerd09-10-2026
- I’m still learning the team side of cycling: if a team has 29 contracts already signed, how can it still add Roglič? Do riders leave, or are there limits on how many can be registered?samanthak09-10-2026
- So many conflicting reports — Tudor favourite one week, completely out the next. Surely someone in the camps knows what’s happening? Either way, Roglic deserves a team built around him rather than another uncertain setup.jeremya09-10-2026
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