Seixas still dominant despite visible crash marks: 'I'm strong when it's tough'

Being the outright favourite in your first real Ardennes classic and then delivering emphatically? Very few riders are capable of that. But Paul Seixas showed once again why he is a special talent. The Decathlon CMA CGM Frenchman rode a stunning La Flèche Wallonne, crossing the line in space, with a badly grazed elbow.

There had already been rumours beforehand that the top favourite had crashed. Lennert Van Eetvelt, himself an outsider for the win, reported it to Het Nieuwsblad. "I'm hoping to be able to follow Seixas today. I've heard he crashed, so I'm not sure how much it's affected him. With a talent like that, he could just as easily ride everyone into the ground regardless."

And so it proved. On the Mur de Huy, Seixas was delivered in perfect position before launching his first acceleration 300 metres from the line. Ben Tulett, Mauro Schmid and Benoît Cosnefroy were still on his wheel — but a second acceleration left them all behind. He rode to victory with complete authority: his first WorldTour win in a one-day race, having already become the youngest WorldTour stage race winner ever in the Basque Country.

'It was a tough one today,' the winner told the flash interview. 'I tried to pick up the pace somewhat, to use some of my power because I knew I'm strong when it's tough. I wanted to assess myself, but also my competitors. I felt very strong then. I turned on at 300 meters, and saw the rest having some trouble. Then I went full throttle to the finish line.'

It proved more than enough. It shows that the 19-year-old super talent is ready for Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where a battle against Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel awaits him. After the finish there was some damage on Seixas' elbow, but it seemed to be not from an incident before the race, but during the race: the blood was still fresh.