BREAKING: Paul Seixas abandons Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes as brutal crash cuts short key Tour de France test

Paul Seixas has abandoned the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on the final stage, with the Decathlon CMA CGM Team teenager’s key Tour de France test cut short one day after his heavy crash on the road to the Grand Colombier.

The 19-year-old started stage 8 in sixth place overall, 1:54 behind race leader Luke Tuckwell, after fighting through a dramatic stage 7 chase following a high-speed fall on a descent.

Seixas was able to remount and limit his losses on Saturday, but the damage from that crash quickly became clear on Sunday’s decisive mountain stage to Plateau de Solaison.

Seixas spent the early part of the stage near the back of the peloton, then called for assistance from the medical car as the race moved through the opening climbs. Moments later, he lost contact with the bunch before stepping off the race.

Seixas’ withdrawal removes one of the biggest storylines from the final day. He had begun the stage still within range of a high overall finish, with Decathlon also placing Leo Bisiaux and Valentin Paret-Peintre in the early break as the race opened aggressively on the Col du Pre.

Those hopes faded quickly. Seixas had already been bloodied and scratched after Saturday’s crash, when he chased for around 60 kilometres and still managed to finish seventh on the stage won by Isaac del Toro.

The abandon now shifts the focus from his GC position to his recovery before the Tour de France. Seixas has been one of the standout young riders of the week and arrived at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with major attention on his climbing form, but the final weekend turned sharply after his stage 7 crash.

His withdrawal came before the decisive climbs of the final stage had fully unfolded, leaving Decathlon without their main GC card on a day built for one last mountain battle.