“He races like a kid — no fear, just goes for it”: Luke Rowe reveals Paul Seixas predicted his long-range Ardèche solo pre-race
Cycling
Paul Seixas’ stunning solo victory at the Faun-Ardèche Classic was not simply the result of instinct in the heat of racing. According to Decathlon CMA CGM Team sports director Luke Rowe, the move that decided the race had already been called before the decisive climb.
Speaking on the Watts Occurring podcast alongside former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, Rowe explained that the 19-year-old had already indicated what he wanted to do before the race reached its critical moment.
“That was insane,” Rowe said on the podcast. “He rode people off his wheel — proper strong riders — and he said beforehand that’s what he was going to do. He did exactly what he called.”
A teenager riding without fear
Seixas produced one of the most eye-catching performances of the early 2026 season in Ardèche, attacking on the Côte de Saint Romain de Lerps with more than 40 kilometres remaining. The move quickly split the race, with Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader Matteo Jorgenson briefly attempting to follow before being forced to let the young Frenchman go.
From there, Seixas rode alone to the finish, holding off the chasers to claim the biggest one-day victory of his young career.
For Thomas, the performance was a reminder of both Seixas’ talent and the personality behind it. “He’s special,” Thomas said. “Proper professional, lovely bloke, down to earth. Still a kid, really.”
Rowe believes that youthful instinct is also reflected in the way the Decathlon rider approaches racing. “He races like that too — no fear, just goes for it.”
That freedom to commit fully to a move, even from far out, proved decisive in Ardèche as Seixas rode clear of riders far more established in the peloton.
“The level now is scary”
The discussion between Thomas and Rowe soon broadened to the wider evolution of the sport, with both men reflecting on how dramatically the level of the peloton has increased in recent years. “The level now is scary,” Thomas said. “It’s a good time to retire.”
Rowe laughed in agreement. “We got out at the right time. I’d have got the [bleep] kicked out of me if I was still a pro.”
Thomas suggested that riders entering the sport today are developing under very different conditions compared with even a decade ago. “If you were 25 now, you’d train differently, eat differently, everything’s changed.”
Rowe agreed that while he still occasionally misses racing itself, the relentless process required to reach peak condition is something he does not miss. “I miss being in top shape and racing, but I don’t miss the process of getting into that shape.”
For Seixas, however, that process is only just beginning. And if Rowe’s insight is anything to go by, the bold move that delivered victory in Ardèche was not a spontaneous gamble.
It was exactly the kind of fearless attack the teenager had already decided to try long before the decisive climb arrived.
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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