“All the races he’s won, you just had to push hard on the pedals” - Paul Seixas’ right-hand man says French starlet must learn quickly ahead of World Championship tilt
CyclingTuesday, 15 September 2026 at 20:00
Paul Seixas emerged from the Canadian WorldTour double-header with his status as a World Championships contender enhanced, but also with a tactical lesson that those closest to the 19-year-old believe could prove valuable when he returns to Montreal in less than two weeks.
Seixas finished second to Isaac Del Toro at the Grand Prix de Montreal after the pair broke clear on the final lap of the circuit that will also host the elite men's World Championships road race on September 27.
The Frenchman had helped force the decisive selection but was caught out by Del Toro when the two contested the victory. Nicolas Prodhomme, his Decathlon CMA CGM teammate and one of the riders selected to support him with France, sees little reason for alarm.
“Paul knows. He knows the mistake he made,” Prodhomme told Eurosport's Bistrot Velo. “He is only 19, he still has things to learn. We know that when you are in the spotlight, every mistake gets talked about a lot. It is not easy for him.”
With the same finish awaiting at the World Championships, the timing of that lesson did not escape Prodhomme. “Better that it happens yesterday than in 15 days.”
Paul Seixas finished runner-up to Isaac del Toro in Montreal
“He has not faced many strategic race finales”
Seixas has reached the very top of the sport at such speed that Prodhomme believes his tactical experience has yet to catch up fully with his physical ability. “All the races he’s won, you just had to push hard on the pedals,” he explained. “I am not saying he is stupid, far from it. But he has not faced many strategic race finales.”
That observation comes despite a remarkable body of results already accumulated at senior level. After finishing third at the 2025 European Championships, seventh at Il Lombardia and 13th in the elite World Championships road race in Kigali during his first senior season, Seixas has made another sizeable jump in 2026.
He won La Fleche Wallonne and Itzulia Basque Country, finished second at Strade Bianche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege and then took fourth overall on his Tour de France debut.
Canada presented a different challenge, however. Seixas was unable to make the decisive move at the GP Quebec, where Remco Evenepoel took victory, before producing a much stronger performance two days later in Montreal. “Paul was on the back foot in Quebec, then he turned things around in Montreal,” Prodhomme said. “In that sprint, he was definitely caught by surprise. It is a mistake he will learn from very quickly.”
Seixas himself left Montreal openly acknowledging a “beginner's mistake”, but his second place also put him ahead of Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock and several other riders expected to feature prominently when the rainbow jersey is decided on the same roads.
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France put their World Championships faith in Seixas
Thomas Voeckler has already taken the step of making Seixas France's sole leader for the elite men's road race despite his age. Prodhomme and fellow Decathlon CMA CGM rider Jordan Labrosse have both been selected around him, giving Seixas familiar support from his trade team.
Prodhomme has been particularly closely involved in his rise, racing alongside him through many of his biggest performances and joining him at his August altitude camp in Les Arcs. Their relationship also stretches back to the 2025 Tour of the Alps, where Seixas played a major role in delivering Prodhomme a victory.
Nicolas Prodhomme and Paul Seixas cross the line together at the Tour of the Alps
France now return to Montreal with direct evidence that their leader can make the decisive selection on the World Championships circuit, but Prodhomme believes the team has enough depth to avoid simply waiting for Seixas to make his move.
“We have an incredibly complete team,” he said. “We will see how we play it, but I really think we have the means to destabilise the others. We will be able to play, anticipate, and in a championship you sometimes have to know how to surprise people. Thomas Voeckler knows how to do that, he has strategies. I expect there to be plenty of movement.”
France eye opportunity in Belgium's dual leadership
Prodhomme also sees an opportunity in the contrasting leadership situation facing Belgium. Evenepoel reinforced his own Worlds credentials by winning in Quebec, while Wout van Aert has been building form at the Vuelta. Both will head to Montreal as Belgian leaders.
“Remco got a little frustrated on the bike, I think everyone saw that,” Prodhomme said. “We saw that he was very strong in Quebec, so obviously you cannot ignore him. I do not know how Belgium are going to handle things between Wout and Remco. It is up to us to know how to take advantage of that.”
France's hierarchy is considerably clearer. Seixas will return to Montreal as the designated leader, having already finished second on the Worlds circuit and discovered first-hand how little margin there can be between making the winning move and actually finishing it off.
At 19, he will attempt to turn that Canadian lesson into the biggest victory of a senior career that is still less than two seasons old.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- it would be so cool if he could pull that off!Ketterechts15-09-2026
- I trust MVDP and his build up. I would love to see him take this again over the Belgians. They will eat themselves LOL. Watching the Montreal race didn't seem like it was a circuit that would break MVDP.mij15-09-2026
- trash article 'User leaves mean comment on instagram'barnabywinters15-09-2026
- ...that's just it-they wouldn't have to pay for him at all-and I believe he wouldn't fail...Moreover, the current pressure of GC leaders in Lidl - Trek is unbearable-and maybe they would welcome it if they "got rid" of one of them...😉Martin15-09-2026
- I guess we'll see this week where MvdP stands, as he's racing the Tour of Luxembourg. That seems like better prep than hanging around Montreal for two weeks. I assume all the teams are in hotels or rented houses in the Eastern Townships, where you can find plenty of hills similar to Mont Royal. We'll see- the circuit isn't the leg breaker it once was, and it certainly isn't hard enough to force selections.megasmacky15-09-2026
- Then the gravel and CX Worlds too!
Rafionain-Glas15-09-2026 - S.1 touched Zigart's nerve there, that nerve went a bit para' ✌️
leedorney15-09-2026 - all the top riders will take his place, gall is a Podium contender. Ayuso has talent. back to back GTs are torture unless named Pogi/Jonas and he is getting sick. Need different team where he is valuedabstractengineer15-09-2026
- Thanks for your reply. But your view of all these things is just so different from mine that maybe we should just agree to disagree!Hills3315-09-2026
- MrMM, you aren't necessarily wrong about any of your comments, flying too close to the sun, some recklessness, mixing it up with the sprinters, and so on. But, those characteristics are exactly what make watching him interesting to many people. Even when he's dominating, he's often pushing himself (and the situation) to a place that is a little past comfortable. That he gets away with it so often is amazing, that he got unlucky in this situation is unfortunate.RidesHills15-09-2026
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