"He wants to prepare for that race" - Paul Seixas makes major schedule change as he focuses on major race after World Championships
CyclingThursday, 17 September 2026 at 14:45
After the World Championships are behind him, Paul Seixas has tunnel vision for one race: confirming that he will not ride the 2026 European Championships on October 4th, a decision made weeks ago.
French national team coach Thomas Voeckler has confirmed that their World Championships leader won't be in Slovenia, instead agreeing to focus on the season's final monument, Il Lombardia, which takes place on October 10th. Taking place two weeks after Montreal's World Championships road race, the Decathlon sensation is targeting victory in Pogacar's absence.
However, it has also been confirmed that the decision to skip Europeans and focus on Il Lombardia was made before Tadej Pogacar's Vuelta a Espana crash that ultimately ruled him out for the rest of the season and changed the race dynamics for many contenders.
"Paul has set his sights on the Il Lombardia, another week later. He wants to prepare for that race as well as possible, and so he has decided, in mutual agreement with his entourage, to skip the European Championships," Voeckler told HLN.
Paul Seixas
Seixas made breakthrough at last year's European Championships
Seixas achieved a major breakthrough at last year's championships, finishing with a bronze medal behind Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel in an impressive showing.
However, before all that, he leads an eight-man French team at the Montreal World Championships as he aims to turn his second place at GP de Montreal into a gold medal at worlds.
He was bested by Isaac del Toro in a sprint to the line last Sunday, but showed impressive strength to shake off the rest of the favourites on the circuit's main climb before the Mexican bridged across to him.
After the race, he admitted that he has more to give come the rainbow jersey race, and that he expects to improve further for the real deal after Sunday's dress rehearsal.
Seixas reflects on GP de Montreal performance
“This is what I expected and what I’ve been working towards in the two weeks since the Tour de France. That’s very good news for me. Now I have another two weeks to work and make further progress," Seixas told Wielerflits.
“To be honest, I didn't feel particularly good all day. think I was a bit too fresh. Maybe I didn't do enough over the last few days."
He added: "I thought perhaps it wasn't the day for me to make a difference. But in the end, I was quite strong. I’m happy about that.
“I think there’s still room for improvement. At least, I hope so. Maybe I’m wrong. But I rode a great race on Sunday and hope to improve even further leading up to the championships. In any case, my form is very good right now.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- and concurrently is working on excuses to have ready if he doesn't win.mij17-09-2026
- he almost has to be the favorite for Lombardia.mij17-09-2026
- What no points for MTB world championship???? Wow poor Tom best alrounder out there and still loses a placepaultryan200217-09-2026
- For the time being, Pogi is taking things "step by step" ... next year, in the spring of 2027, he will stomp over everyone... except Remco. Patrick Evenepoel, Remco's father, is insinuating his son will beat Pogi in most of the races next year. This year he put Jonas Vingegaard in a box, next year it's Pogi's turn. Remco the G.O.A.T. !!!! ... not ...PogiSloFans17-09-2026
- Remco's daddy Patrick Evenepoel is already saying: "My son Remco will win the Giro. 100%."PogiSloFans17-09-2026
- OK, here are the facts: Fact 1: Remco officially finished second to Pogi. Fact 2: Vingegaard was second when he crashed and had to abandon. Fact 3: Remco therefore inherited second place. Fact 4: Remco had ridden an excellent Tour and beaten Pogi on Stage 15!?!? Well, officially he "beat him"... but Pogi gave him an early christmas gift. We all know it. It's not established that Remco would definitely have beaten Vingegaard over the remaining stages. His daddy Patrick should know better and is a fool believing his son Remco would have done so anyway. That's his personal delusional assessment, not something the race proved. He should know better. I guess we can say "like father, like son." There is a reasonable argument that Remco had improved substantially in 2026 and could have challenged Vingegaard for second. But saying he would have finished second in any case is utterly foolish. Daddy Patrick is entitled to his confidence, but “he would have been second anyway” is a delusional belief fact. I just can't understand the Evenepoel family... Remco already has enough criticism and backlash because of his "big mouth"... it's quicker than his brain, but why is his father making things even worse. Why?PogiSloFans17-09-2026
- I was also sad we didn't get to see a battle between Jonas and Remco. Remco saying exactly what he's thinking has become part of his brand,; the media would criticise Pog if he did the same, so he has been taught how to react. What I find strange is that Remco's father's opinion is treated as news. I guess that's understandable in Belgjum, and sites like this just repeat it for clicks.Hills3317-09-2026
- Yes. Yes it is 😂anonymouscyclist17-09-2026
- No, it's an advert for the G.O.A.T. !!! Every once in a while we have to let people know who Pogi is. Fools, also on this site, tend to forget that fact and then you read BS like: "OMG, Mas caught Pogi on a little hill, he's better than Pog." ... "MVDP and Van Aert beat Pogi in Paris Roubaix, they are No.1 cyclists, Pogi is only No.2" ... "Remco is a better all around cyclist than Pogi." etc. etc. PS: Don't insult my intelligence... and get a life.PogiSloFans17-09-2026
- He is the father not expected to give an unbiased opinion. For all his talents, Remco is a Primadonna as see from his latest temper tantrum vented on some lowly(in his opinion) rider in the Canadian races but when it comes to Pogi , he becomes a sycophant, a no balls Remco.abstractengineer17-09-2026
Loading
1 Comments