Paul Seixas is no longer merely one of cycling’s brightest prospects, he has become a proven winner capable of taking on the biggest races on the calendar. The Frenchman from Decathlon CMA CGM Team ended the 2026 season with a historic victory at Il Lombardia, confirming the remarkable progress he had made over the previous months.
At 20, he has already finished fourth on his debut at the Tour de France, challenged Tadej Pogačar for victory in major classics and won one of cycling’s five Monuments. The next step is no longer simply proving he can compete with the best. It is deciding how far he can go and how to manage his career to keep improving.
His victory in the Italian classic has changed the way the Frenchman is seen. Until now, each strong result could be seen as another sign of his enormous potential. After winning in Como, that assessment no longer goes far enough. Seixas now knows what it takes to win one of the world’s biggest one-day races, and he did so against established rivals. His season does not guarantee he will dominate the peloton in the years ahead, but it gives us sporting reasons to see him as one of the riders who could shape the future of the sport.
On the 10th of October, Seixas won Il Lombardia after launching his decisive attack on the climb to Civiglio, around 19 kilometres from the finish. The Frenchman opened a gap on his pursuers and maintained his effort all the way to Como, where he crossed the line alone. Enric Mas finished second, 48 seconds behind, with Giulio Ciccone completing the podium at 1:05. Remco Evenepoel took fourth, ahead of World Champion Brandon McNulty.
Paul Seixas at Il Lombardia
The result was historic. Seixas became the youngest winner of Il Lombardia and added his name to the roll of honour of one of the five Monuments. This was no victory in a lesser race or a success achieved against a weakened field. The 239-kilometre route, with 4,600 metres of climbing, demanded endurance, climbing strength and tactical judgement—and the Frenchman delivered on all three.
The way he won was significant, too. Seixas did not wait for a reduced sprint or rely on a rival’s mistake in the final metres. He attacked on one of the decisive climbs, built a gap and turned the closing kilometres into a solo time trial to the finish. The move required him to sustain a very high effort over many kilometres, with the risk that the chasers could organise themselves and bring him back. But the Frenchman held his advantage and sealed the win.
The victory also came after a season in which he had already shown he could compete in different settings. Il Lombardia should therefore not be seen as an isolated performance that suddenly changes every expectation. It was the culmination of a progression that had been signalling for months that he was ready to take another step.
From classics revelation to challenging Pogacar
One of the most striking aspects of Seixas’s season has been his ability to carry his form from one race to another. His impact in the spring classics brought him into competition with the peloton’s leading riders, particularly on demanding courses where the climbs often split the race before the final kilometres.
Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège offered two important benchmarks for gauging his progress. At both races, he had the chance to take on Tadej Pogačar, who has dominated many of the biggest classics in recent seasons. The Frenchman has yet to show he can regularly beat the Slovenian, but he has earned a place in the sporting conversation alongside the leading rider of his generation.
That distinction matters. Standing out in lower-category races or posting strong results in less demanding events is one thing. Competing for victory against riders who have spent years winning the biggest races is quite another. Seixas has quickly gone from a talent to watch to a rival teams must account for whenever a major race approaches.
Il Lombardia strengthened that impression because the race brings together many of the world’s best climbers and classics specialists. Winning in that fashion provides a different kind of experience from earning a high placing by following the other favourites’ moves.
Even so, it would be premature to conclude that Seixas is already Pogacar’s equal on every terrain. The Slovenian has built his dominance over several years, while the Frenchman is only beginning his professional career. The comparison shows the caliber of rivals he can already challenge; it does not mean the generational handover is complete.
Fourth place at the Tour changes expectations
If the Classics showed that Seixas could contend for major one-day victories, the Tour de France added another dimension to his development. The Frenchman finished fourth on his debut in the race, an extraordinary result for a rider who turned 20 on 24th September. His performance over three weeks showed that he can do more than respond to explosive efforts: he can also sustain a high level throughout a demanding stage race.
His overall result at the Tour is especially significant because it opens up a different path for Seixas’ future. The Classics could bring him victories of enormous prestige, but a performance of this caliber in the French race shows that he can also aspire to become a Grand Tour contender.
Fourth place, however, should not be mistaken for a guarantee that he will next challenge for overall victory. To reach that goal, he will need to keep improving in areas beyond his climbing ability. Consistency in the mountain stages, time trialing, recovery between stages, positioning in the peloton and teamwork can all prove decisive when the aim is to hold a leading position for three weeks.
He will also need to learn how to manage expectations as his results continue to build. After finishing fourth at the Tour and winning Il Lombardia in the same season, every major race will inevitably become another test of his level. Decathlon CMA CGM’s challenge will be to let him keep progressing without turning every start into an obligation to win.
The team has a compelling sporting case for building its future around him, but its priority must be to avoid rushing his development. Seixas has already shown that he can compete for major goals. The task now is to identify the calendar and preparation that will bring him closer to the best without compromising his progress.
Paul Seixas at the 2026 Tour de France
The next challenge: choosing the right path to 2027
Planning for 2027 will be one of the most important factors in Seixas’ development. After a year of outstanding results in both the Classics and stage races, his calendar must answer a fundamental question: should he prioritize another Tour de France, or explore an alternative route to further his progress in the Grand Tours?
Decathlon CMA CGM sports director Julien Jurdie has made clear that a Grand Tour podium is a goal, but the team has yet to decide which race to target. The Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España remain possibilities, whilst the Tour is still a major option after his fourth place on debut.
Each option would bring its own advantages. Returning to the Tour would let him see how much further he can progress against the world’s best riders in the sport’s most prestigious race. The Giro, meanwhile, could offer a different setting in which to pursue a Grand Tour podium. The Vuelta would also give him another chance to gain experience in a three-week race.
However, the calendar is about more than choosing a Grand Tour. The team has also said it wants to maintain ambitions in the Classics, with races such as Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia fitting its plans. That creates the challenge of building a balanced season in which Seixas can continue competing for Monuments while developing as a general classification contender.
The decision will have significant sporting consequences. Focusing his preparation on one Grand Tour could help him work on specific aspects of his performance, while continuing to race widely in the Classics would allow him to build on qualities that have already delivered top-level results. There is no single right answer: the key will be finding the best balance for a rider who has shown he can perform in both arenas.
The 2027 calendar will also depend on the team’s objectives and on how the rider develops during the off-season. Any claims about a specific start should therefore wait for official confirmation. What is clear is that Seixas has reached a level that calls for ambitious planning, while keeping his development over the medium term in view.
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Decathlon CMA CGM has a star, but also a responsibility
Seixas’s emergence gives Decathlon CMA CGM an extraordinary sporting opportunity. The French team now has a rider capable of targeting one-day victories who has also demonstrated a very high level in a Grand Tour. That combination expands the team’s options and allows it to build strategies around a rider who can make an impact on a range of parcours.
But developing a rider of this caliber also calls for careful decisions. Greater media attention, comparisons with Pogacar and the expectations created by his results can turn every race into a test. The best response is not necessarily to add more targets, but to select the ones that suit his development and allow him to keep learning.
In that respect, his Il Lombardia victory offers a significant advantage: it confirms that Seixas can deliver a major performance in a top-tier race without having to wait several years to make the step up. The team no longer needs to plan solely around his potential; it can also build on results that show he can win against top-level rivals.
The key will be to turn that success into a foundation for further growth. A Monument does not guarantee future victories, just as fourth place at the Tour does not assure a podium in the next edition. But together, those results show that Seixas has an unusually wide range of possibilities for a rider of his age.
Jorge BorregueroWriter
Jorge Borreguero is a journalist with a degree from the Complutense University of Madrid and has been a writer for Cyclinguptodate and Ciclismoaldia since early 2023. In this role, he has played a key part in the evolution of the website, particularly as a specialist covering Movistar Team. He regularly writes race reports, analytical pieces, and in-depth features about the team, and has conducted exclusive interviews and attended multiple team presentations, providing readers with firsthand insights into one of the leading professional cycling squads.
Throughout his career, Jorge has maintained a strong focus on sports journalism, gaining experience across a variety of disciplines, including basketball and football. However, his current work is almost entirely dedicated to cycling, contributing extensively to Ciclismoaldia and its sister website Cyclinguptodate. For these platforms, he combines thorough research with detailed reporting to deliver high-quality content, ranging from race previews and results to expert analysis of teams and riders.
Jorge’s reporting is marked by accuracy, depth, and a commitment to providing readers with reliable and authoritative information. His direct engagement with teams, athletes, and events ensures that his coverage reflects firsthand knowledge and professional insight. Through his work, he has established himself as a trusted voice in professional cycling journalism, bridging the gap between the sport and its global audience while maintaining rigorous editorial standards.
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- Well said @RideHills 👏🏼anonymouscyclist14-10-2026
- OMG!!! As I wrote in the post below the other article, Paul is incredibly good, but he isn't quite at Tadej's level yet.MajorPayne14-10-2026
- The season is over, so there has to be something to write about. No one disputes that Paul is a top-tier young cyclist. But in the absence of other news, comparing him to Tadej is utter nonsense. He still has a lot of developing to do before he can win Grand Tours or Monuments that Tadej also competes in.MajorPayne14-10-2026
- It is easy to celebrate those who won the grand tours and the monuments. and the world championships. What I notice more are the ones who were at the world tour and kept going on the pro tour level for that little bit longer, still wanting to ride after their bodies had aged, after their teams no longer needed them. It is good to see the domestiques. as well. Congratulations to all these folks on an impressive career, no matter the wins. Cycling is a team sport, and it’s the ones we don’t see much of that allow the leaders to stand out and win the accolades.RidesHills14-10-2026
- Biestrebos is a real sprinting talent. Initially it was thought that he'd be a classics domestíque but his sprinting has improved dramatically over the course of the year. He's the only thing going well with Picnic now and for that reason it is likely that he'll leave
Rafionain-Glas14-10-2026 - well this one definitely makes my STUPIDEST ARTICLES OF 2026 list. chapeau…OCexile14-10-2026
- Cyclocross is nothing without stars like MVDP, WVA, Pidcock... etc. Out of all cycling disciplines, road racing is the most popular discipline in professional cycling, especially in terms of global prestige, major-event audiences, and the historical status of its greatest riders. People that don't follow cycling as a sport have heard of Merckx, Hinault, Pantani, Armstrong, Remco, Vingegaard, MvDP, Van Aert, Pogačar etc. So if we're talking about professional cycling and the sport's most famous athletes, road racing is the clear number one. Road cycling's greatest champions are judged across such a wide scale. E.g. - Pogačar can win the Tour de France and then go after Paris–Roubaix and other prestigious one day races. These races also have a wide range of versatility: cobbles, gravel, punchy, hilly, TT. This versatility is a huge part of why road racing is No.1 in cycling. Maybe Sven Nys is a dutch cycling "legend"... but that's where it starts and ends. Ad acta.PogiSloFans14-10-2026
- “at some point those guys will turn their backs on OUR sport”? after dedicating so much of their lives to cyclocross and in mathieu’s case winning more world championships than anyone, it would seem to me like they’ve earned the right for it to be always be THEIR sport, too, even after they retire from it.OCexile14-10-2026
- It takes two to tango. Riders also have a say. Maybe they didn't see any opportunities on a stacked team such as Visma's? Who knows, but could be a multitude of reasons why deals fall through.Pogboom14-10-2026
- Eventually Pogi will get older and slower. Father Time will favor the young. The question is whether he can beat Pogi before Pogi decides to retire. You never know... Pogi may retire after winning paris-roubaix :)b3tlla14-10-2026
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