Paul Seixas is back on the start line just 15 hours after winning Il Lombardia, but on a very different bike
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Follow us on GooglePaul Seixas had little time on Saturday evening to enjoy his victory in the Tour of Lombardy. The 20-year-old Frenchman was dominant in the final stretch of the last Monument of the year, securing the biggest win of his still-young career. Time for a well-deserved celebration? No, because Seixas still had a cycling commitment on his schedule.
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On Sunday morning, at a mountain bike race in southern France, people saw that the Decathlon CMA CGM climber is a man of his word. The Roc d'Azur is the world’s largest mountain biking event, featuring an annual race in October around Fréjus, Roquebrune-sur-Argens, and Saint-Raphaël.
The event has only been around since 1984, but in recent years it has become a traditional end-of-season highlight for mountain bikers. Each year, the event attracts about 20,000 participants from more than 50 countries, nearly 300 exhibitors at a large, free exhibition hall, and more than 100,000 visitors over a five-day period.
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Paul Seixas won the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday
'Inspiration' leads Seixas to Southern French Mountain Bike Race after Lombardy
The main race (the Roc d'Azur) is a challenging cross-country course of about 55 kilometers, with approximately 1,450 meters of elevation gain through the rugged terrain of the Maures and Estérel mountain ranges. Seixas reportedly didn’t register until Friday, just one day before the Tour of Lombardy. And despite his victory on Saturday, he was indeed ready at the starting line on Sunday morning.
Apparently, it was a last-minute “whim,” but the fact is that Seixas won’t truly be able to savor his victory in the Tour of Lombardy—or his incredible 2026 season, for that matter—until after a grueling 55-kilometer ride. That year, he also won the Tour of the Basque Country and the Flèche Wallonne, and finished fourth in the very first Grand Tour of his career: the Tour de France.
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- Why is the Chrono des Nations only “three-quarters of an hour”? Is that the usual length of the time trial, or just an estimate?sprocketspiny10-10-2026
- 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
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