CyclingUpToDate Podcast: "Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard have a little bit to think about" - Paul Seixas' Lombardia win sends a warning
Cycling
Paul Seixas has won this weekend's edition of Il Lombardia, becoming the youngest ever winner of the Italian monument and taking over the race after Tadej Pogacar had won it for five consecutive editions. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have discussed the Frenchman's performance and whether this changes something in Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard's outlook into the 2027 season.
"I feel like winning in Lombardia is the culmination of an excellent season," Quinn said. "One of the best teenage seasons, if you will, even though he's not a teenager anymore - he turned 20 at the end of September. It's one of the best seasons we've ever seen from a young rider, and it does change a lot for 2027, maybe mostly in the minds of other riders, namely Tadej Pogacar".
Pogacar's injuries meant he could not take part, and in his absence, Paul Seixas took over and dominated the race. The Frenchman had finished second to Pogacar already at Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and in such circumstances he managed to take the opportunity fully.
"The signs are there, like this is a 20-year-old rider who has rivaled him in La Redoute, in Liege-Bastogne-Liègei, and has now gone on to win the monument which Tadej Pogacar made his own. He didn't just win it in a sprint to the line, or maybe just a few seconds, he dominated the whole field".
The race was decided on the climb to Civiglio, with several teams interested in chasing and not letting attacks go up the road beforehand. On the pure climbing effort, Seixas effectively made the difference, with the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro in difficulties.
Seixas might be a headache for Pogacar and Vingegaard
Quinn believes that Seixas' domination is a close comparison to that of the peloton's other two big climbers: "We pretty much haven't seen this type of performance over the whole rest of the field outside of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. I think there's no question that now he leaves himself that little bit closer now to the top two. Some will probably argue that he's a similar level to Jonas Vingegaard now. He showed similar levels in the Tour de France and this is a step up".
With Enric Mas and Giulio Ciccone filling up the podium, Seixas' performance gained notoriety not only due to the numbers he put out, but also due to the fact that it was at the backend of the long mountainous race, but also in mid-October - at a time where reaching peak form is not easy.
"I think Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard have a little bit to think about in terms of. Even if they show up alone without each other at Grand Tour, if Paul Seixas is there, he will compete or he will at least be a headache - particularly for Jonas Vingegaard".
Paul Seixas on the podium of the 2026 Il Lombardia
Seixas' win was a matter of time
"I don't think this win changes anything in terms of his performance, he's just as good as we've seen him most of the year," Rúben Silva argued. "It is certainly a great achievement, because he now has a Lombardia in his palmares".
"But when I stop and think it's his first palmares, that's weird, because he really is him, he is the best climber in the peloton -apart from Pogacar and Vingegaard perhaps".
Silva put emphasis on the fact that the Decathlon CMA CGM Team has been putting out such performances throughout the whole year. In races such as the Faun-Ardeche Classic and Itzulia Basque Country it has led to dominant wins. But because Seixas has consistently put himself agains the very best, he has perhaps not appeared the dominant force that he has now shown.
"is focus was on races like Strade Bianche, like Liège, like the Tour de France... Races where well, without exception, those are the races where Pogacar was. And he was at the World Championships, he was at the Canadian Classics, like every single one of his big goals was against the other best riders in the world, always in their best form. Here, we see almost what's natural".
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Seixas' victory was interpreted as almost inevitable for Silva and, with Isaac del Toro struggling with knee issues and Remco Evenepoel lacking his best climbing legs, the Frenchman simply didn't have competition.
"I think Seixas knows what his weak points are against his rivals (referring to recovery and endurance). His rivals will know it as well, and will continue to try and take advantage of it, as long as they can".
"But nevertheless, it's something nice to have in the palmarès, perhaps the biggest victory of his career so far as well, the fruit of the work that he's been putting on".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- that was a great win, and quite a surprise at the time. That was a loaded field, and he held of Valverde for the win. Still shocking that Valverde never won Lombardia. He seemed perfect for it. Mollema just went to work every day.mij12-10-2026
- I hope he races Volta a Majorca. We'll really be able to see if he can do one-day-races (but do they count?)
Rafionain-Glas12-10-2026 - See, you can write a sensible comment without just slagging off everyone else! Well done!👏😆 🫣Lozza12-10-2026
- Seixas best chance is obviously UAE. They are the best team in history of the sport and they developed pogacar into the goat. They also developed Del Toro to be nr 2 in world. Seixas would become unstoppable at UAE. Lets see if Seixas stays at decathlon but if UAE comes knocking its impossible to say no. Barcelone and real madrid combined into one team, thats UAE in cycling it feels like..miguel12-10-2026
- I think he does or goes to whichever team gives him the scope to become the rider everyone thinks he'll be when Tadej stops.. that simpleslappers6612-10-2026
- I remember at one time he was mentioned in the same breath as Seixas. no more. Onley has a lot of work to do to be deserving of that.mij12-10-2026
- I hope he goes to Bahrain-Victorious to mentor JakobRafionain-Glas12-10-2026
- I hope he stays! Cycling is more fun with Primoz, even if he is not winning.mij12-10-2026
- yes for sure, there will be more chances for him at Euro than Lombardia. I wonder if that emotion wasn't also because he knows he has now been eclipsed by a younger rider w/o his goals being checked off. At least when Seixas over takes Tadej someday, Tadej will have accomplished his major goals. He still has Roubaix left, but Seixas isn't a threat there. And he should find a year to get Vuelta. Remco now is behind at least 2 riders w/o ever having won a Tour, one monument to his name, and the next few World Championships are not Remco friendly. I would still take Remco's wins though!!!mij12-10-2026
- Remco was at 100%. He raced as expected: 15th best on the climbs and then best in the sprint of the chasing group. Exactly what he did at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he was on similar form. His win in Amstel was comparable to Quebec or the EurosRafionain-Glas12-10-2026
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