Blow for Paul Seixas - Key teammate Matthew Riccitello abandons Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with sickness on stage 1

The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes may only be underway just a few hours, but Paul Seixas has been dealt a blow for his general classification hopes after a key teammate was forced to abandon the race.

Arriving with lofty ambitions of a GC charge in the WorldTour race, the 19-year-old is hoping to underline his position as a credible challenger to Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard's vice-like grip on the Tour de France. His task to do so has taken a major hit on Saturday after Matthew Riccitello left the race.

The American climber, who singed with the team after an impressive Vuelta a Espana in 2025, was penned to be a key helper for the teenager in the high mountains at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but has come down with sickness on the eve of the race - with Riccitello stepping off the bike after just over 60 kilometers of racing.

Confirming the news, Decathlon CMA CGM said: "Feeling sick last night, Matthew Riccitello had to leave the race early. Get well soon Matthew."

Speaking before the stage, Seixas confirmed that Riccitello was ill with a suspected case of food poisoning. While harbouring no threat to teammates coming down with illness, the team hoped he could recover as the race went on.

Seixas said: "Only Matthew [Riccitello] is a bit sick this morning. I think it’s food poisoning, we don’t know for sure yet.

"In any case, it’s not contagious, so we hope he can get through the stage without issues."

Although a blow for Seixas, he can still rely on Léo Bisiaux, Nicolas Prodhomme and Aurélien Paret-Peintre for mountain support while Daan Hoole and Stefan Bissegger offer solid protection in flat or hilly parcours.

Before the stage, Seixas also spoke about the race's prestige and attraction: “Yes, of course. I already did this race last year. It was extremely hard. This year I’m happy to line up again. It’s a beautiful race in my region and I’m glad to take part.”