Decathlon CMA CGM provide update after Seixas DNF: 'The pain came back'

Paul Seixas arrived at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with ambitions of winning the race. The local rider was going superbly, until he suffered a heavy crash in stage seven. As a result, he was forced to abandon during the eighth and final stage after a brief attempt to continue. The crash has clearly left its mark.

It all went badly wrong in stage seven. Seixas took a corner too fast and slid out, continuing to slide across the dry tarmac, as he later explained. "The gloves saved me today," he said at the start of the final stage. "Today proves you should always wear them, because if you fall on your hands at 70 km/h... They're pretty badly damaged, and I couldn't really put any weight on them on the handlebars. That was difficult, because it put extra strain on my back."

Despite the injuries and a long chase back, Seixas still finished an impressive seventh at the stage to the Grand Colombier. It gave hope that things might not be too bad, and that he could still fight in the final stage. That stage would prove the hardest of the race, and not just because of the injuries: the route to Plateau de Solaison included more than 4,000 metres of climbing.

The climbing started right from the gun, up the Col du Pré. There was no easing into the day, and certainly not for the unfortunate team leader of Decathlon CMA CGM. He was dropped early on and never made it back. After a brief attempt to continue, he decided to pull out with 86 kilometres to go — a disappointing end for Seixas.

The hope that things would improve had therefore gone up in smoke. Jacky Maillot, doctor at Decathlon CMA CGM, gave a statement after the finish. "After a good night's rest, Paul had decided to test himself on the first climb of the stage," he explained to Ouest-France. "However, the effort caused the pain to return in several places."

"On top of that, the various wounds on his hands and elbows made it difficult for him to handle his bike properly. The main instruction was not to take any risks at all." This will worry French fans, as the 19-year-old top talent is normally due to make his Tour de France debut. Will he still be able to start?

At Decathlon CMA CGM, they will be hoping so. For now, though, thoughts aren't turning to La Grande Boucle just yet. "A crash like the one on Saturday takes an enormous amount of energy out of you. He'll need a few days' rest before he can resume his Tour de France preparation," Maillot concluded. A not too unfavourable update, it seems.

Author: David Bavin-Hobbs - Click here to email