“Everything has been said about Seixas, this was the ultimate confirmation” - Thijs Zonneveld excited about Paul Seixas’ future after his battle with Pogacar at Liège

After two relatively uneventful editions of Liege-Bastogne-Liege, this year’s race finally delivered a sense of drama, and much of that was thanks to Paul Seixas. The 19-year-old Frenchman produced the ride of his young career by staying with Tadej Pogacar on the decisive slopes of La Redoute, something almost no rider has managed in recent years.

As expected, Pogacar launched his trademark acceleration on the iconic climb, but unlike previous editions, he did not ride away immediately. Seixas latched onto the world champion’s wheel and held firm, turning the ascent into the fastest ever recorded on La Redoute.

Speaking on In de Waaier podcast, cycling analyst Thijs Zonneveld could barely contain his amazement. “He really tried to drop Seixas in those 3 minutes and 45 seconds, and he couldn’t do it,” Zonneveld said. “I was cheering, simply because there was finally someone who could go with Pogacar.”

For several kilometres, Seixas looked entirely at home beside the dominant figure of modern cycling. The French teenager followed all the way until the climb of Roche-aux-Faucons, where the effort eventually caught up with him.

Midway up the ascent, the elastic finally snapped, and Seixas conceded around 45 seconds by the finish to the ultimately superior Slovenian. Yet the result mattered less than the statement.

At just 19 years old, Seixas was racing one of cycling’s most demanding Monuments and matching Pogacar deep into a 230-kilometre race. That alone was enough to leave seasoned observers stunned.

“We can say everything about how good Seixas is, it is completely clear that he is one of the biggest talents to emerge in years,” Zonneveld continued. “But that he can already follow Pogacar during an all-out effort on La Redoute, while riding his first real classic... that is extraordinary.”

He went even further in his praise. “We cannot even say it is Pogacar-like, because Pogacar himself was not that good at that age.”

That is no small statement, considering Pogacar’s own rise changed the standards of elite cycling. His early success forced the sport to evolve rapidly, from training methods to nutrition and aerodynamics.

“Those effects are still visible now,” Zonneveld explained. “Aerodynamics, training, nutrition, all those things. It is easier now to be ready immediately than it was in 2019. But still, this rider has done so few hard finals in races over 200 kilometres. I saw it happen, but I still cannot fully explain it.”

Seixas’ performance also placed him in rare company. According to Zonneveld, only Jonas Vingegaard and Tom Pidcock had previously been able to follow Pogacar at his very best in such explosive moments.

“And now a 19-year-old kid arrives in the biggest climbing classic of the year and follows him after 230 kilometres at the foot of La Redoute.”

The contrast with the rest of the field made the feat even more striking. When Pogacar accelerated, most contenders were instantly distanced. Even riders of the calibre of Remco Evenepoel were left behind, while Seixas alone remained glued to the wheel.

“You can see behind them, with Evenepoel, how hard it is going. And that Seixas can follow... everything has been said about Seixas. This is the ultimate confirmation.”

Zonneveld then turned to the science behind the performance, describing La Redoute as the perfect “talent meter” because of its demands on pure aerobic capacity.

“It is the rawest piece of talent you can measure, how many millilitres of oxygen you can maximally deliver to your muscles. You can measure that in an effort of around four minutes. La Redoute is steep enough that aerodynamics do not really matter. It is a reflection of how high your VO2 max is.”

That helps explain why Seixas was able to stay with Pogacar in that one brutal effort, even if he later faded on Roche-aux-Faucons. According to Zonneveld, sustaining repeated efforts over long races is something experience and training can still improve dramatically.

“That he gets dropped afterwards is logical, but repeating this kind of effort is much more trainable and teachable.”

Which leads to one unavoidable conclusion: this may only be the beginning.

“He does not have all of that yet, because he has not raced those kinds of events enough,” Zonneveld said. “But if he keeps doing what he is doing now, and does not do too many strange things, then he will make it. Then he will be able to do it on Roche-aux-Faucons as well. Because that endurance, it will come.”