Paul Seixas has a chance to achieve something unique at a (possibly) Pogačar-less World Championships: 'It would change a lot'

There’s a huge question mark next to Tadej Pogačar’s name on the World Cycling Championships start list. The Slovenian hopes to be fit in time to try to claim his third consecutive world title, but the injuries he sustained in his crash at the Vuelta a España are far from minor. If he doesn’t start, it will give other riders a golden opportunity. Paul Seixas is one of them.

The 19-year-old Frenchman is having a phenomenal season and finished fourth in the Tour de France just over a month ago. After that, he took some time to recover. “The first two weeks after the Tour, I rested and spent time with my family and friends,” he tells Het Laatste Nieuws. “There was also time for some exercise—a little biking, a little hiking. After that, I got back into my daily training routine a bit more seriously.”

That way, he’s already getting ready for autumn. There are some important races ahead for this super-talented rider. “So far, everything has gone well. The spring season and the Tour have given me a solid foundation to build on, and I feel great on the bike. I feel ready for the final block of races, with the World Championships and the Tour of Lombardy as my main goals.”

The World Championships will take place in Canada. Pogacar was normally the top favorite, but due to his crash, it seems virtually impossible that he’ll be at the start in Montréal. How does Seixas view his chances later this month? “First and foremost, it was terrible to see Tadej crash. Because it was the kind of crash that could happen to anyone. I hope he recovers as soon as possible,” he says.

After that, he’s clear. “It’s still a bit too early to really say anything about it, because we don’t know yet whether or not he’ll make it to the start, but of course it would change a lot if he weren’t there. If Tadej competes, you have to figure out how you’re going to race against him. He’s the king of the race. We might already see it in the Grand Prix de Montréal, though of course that’s still a bit different from the World Championships, where we race with national teams.”

That may be a significant difference, but it’s still pretty much the same course as the World Championships. At the Montreal Grand Prix, where Pogačar has already won twice, we’ll get a preview of what’s to come. Seixas is ready. “I expect the race to be more open, but there are still a lot of great riders I’ll have to compete against.”

One of those riders is Remco Evenepoel. In his debut year on the WorldTour, the Belgian rode the Canadian one-day races for the last time and went largely unnoticed. Things will likely be different at the World Championships. “Remco has a very interesting profile for these races,” analyses rival Seixas. “He’s undoubtedly one of the favourites—perhaps even the top favourite. He’s also been world champion before—he knows what it takes.”

Seixas already finished a respectable 13th in Kigali last year, but he’ll be hoping for more. They say that after a Grand Tour, you always build up much greater stamina: is that noticeable yet? “It’s hard to say. I won’t know until I perform well in a race. That’s where I want to excel, not just in training. We’ll see. In any case, I feel fresh, both physically and mentally.”

If Pogačar doesn’t start, Seixas’s chances will increase significantly. The 19-year-old prodigy has already broken numerous records this year, but could add another impressive one to his list. If he were to become world champion in Canada, he would—three days after his 20th birthday—become the youngest world champion ever. He would then dethrone the Belgian Karel Kaers, who became world champion in 1934 at the age of 20 years and 76 days.