Paul Seixas crashes hard in stage 7 of Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, race already neutralized for some time
CyclingSaturday, 13 June 2026 at 15:03
The opening phase of stage 7 at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has already produced plenty of chaos. Even before live pictures had started, the riders had been hit by several crashes and a neutralization of the race. Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) went down hard.
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Even before the race director had waved the flag, plenty had already happened. No fewer than thirteen riders — many of them ill — did not start, including Jørgen Nordhagen and Per Strand Hagenes of Visma | Lease a Bike, Ben Healy of EF Education-EasyPost and Oscar Onley of Netcompany INEOS, who had crashed the previous day.
During the neutralized section, before the stage had officially begun, Daniel Felipe Martínez of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Alex Díaz of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and Gal Glivar of Alpecin-Premier Tech all hit the tarmac. Glivar did not get back on his bike, while Martínez — an important Tour de France support rider for Remco Evenepoel — also required medical assistance.
Read more below the photo!
Daniel Felipe Martinez was among the riders to crash.
Neutralization and Seixas crash
A little later, a crash was reported involving mountains classification leader Clément Braz Afonso of Groupama-FDJ, although he was able to continue. Then came a message from the race convoy: the descent of the Côte de Saint-Maurice-de-Rotherens would be neutralized.
“This section could become dangerous because of loose gravel on the road. The race organization has decided that the riders will complete this part in convoy and at low speed,” the message read.
And so it happened. But just as the race was restarted, there was another crash - this time involving Seixas, who was wearing the white jersey for Decathlon CMA CGM. Seixas was waited for by teammates and examined by the race doctor, but was able to continue shortly afterwards. He lost at least three minutes, and despite help from teammates including Stefan Bissegger and Daan Hoole, that gap continued to grow towards four minutes.
Seixas can still put power through the pedals, but is in real trouble
It is not yet known what injuries or pain Seixas may have sustained. Photos from within the peloton show abrasions across much of his body: his left knee and arm were affected, as well as the full right side of his torso. The Frenchman was, however, still able to push on the pedals and, with help from his last remaining teammate Aurélien Paret-Peintre, managed to close to within 2.5 minutes of the peloton.
That still leaves Seixas in a very difficult position. Before the stage, he had been one of the major names to watch on the road to the Grand Colombier, with the final weekend of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes expected to decide the general classification. The crash, the chase and the time loss now threaten to change the entire shape of his race.
Author: David
Bavin-Hobbs - [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- - Van Aert saying this was his last realistic chance before the mountains and then delivering is peak Wout. If he’s already sprinting like this, can’t wait to see what he does on those punchy mountain finishes later in the week.raceready711-06-2026
- - Interesting contrast with stageyesterday’s break survives, today the teams don’t give them an inch. Bahrain, Tudor, and Visma clearly learned their lesson. Reinderink looked lively though — Soudal are getting him in the right moves.tourdeforce911-06-2026
- - Feel a bit bad for INEOS there — Tarling had the legs but that move totally boxed in Godon. Classic chaos in the final kilometre. Still, Hofstetter sneaking into second was impressive given how Visma controlled everything.sprocketspiny11-06-2026
- - What a clinic from Visma | Lease a Bike. Affini’s lead-out was ice-cold and Van Aert finished it off perfectly. You can tell he’s sharpening up for the Tour — picking his moments, staying patient, then boom. Also, shout-out to Armirail for that monster pull with 3 km to go.velodromevirtuoso111-06-2026
- - Quinn Simmons deserved the win—break had real horsepower—but I’m already excited for the next stages. If Visma gets their preferred scenario (smaller break), Wout’s right there for a proper shot. Great read, thanks Gauthier!pedalpowe2910-06-2026
- - The honesty from Wout is refreshing. Asking the team to trust him in the morning, then paying it back with legs in the finale—even if it’s only for 11th—says a lot. Paris-Roubaix winner doesn’t need to prove anything, but this shows the engine is back online.jennifer1910-06-2026
- - That was a textbook “too many in the move” scenario. Pairs up the road and half the peloton missing it—no way you bring that back without full cooperation. Still, Visma did a massive pull and Wout finished it off with the bunch sprint. Encouraging signs.bikebuffj10-06-2026
- - Loved seeing Wout smiling again. Winning the bunch sprint after the TTT struggles shows the form is coming. If he keeps building like this, the next real chance could turn into a win. Break was just stacked today.tourdeforce910-06-2026
- - The management changes are big news, but I like his perspective: day-to-day is about riders, DS, and coaches. Still, saying he’ll miss Guercilena shows maturity. If he keeps showing this level after his altitude block, I don’t see how they leave him off the Tour roster.robert6510-06-2026
- - Interesting that Wednesday wasn’t even his target stage. Sometimes the best wins come when you’re not forcing it. If Lidl-Trek is taking Ayuso and Skjelmose for GC, a Simmons in this kind of form feels like a perfect engine for break stages and tough transitional days in July.andrewf10-06-2026
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