“His arrival is dizzying for French sport... like Leon Marchand at the Paris Olympics” – Tour de France boss hails Paul Seixas after Liège breakthrough

The race had already broken apart long before the finale, but when Liège-Bastogne-Liège reached its decisive sequence of climbs, the expected pattern began to form. Tadej Pogacar moved to the front on La Redoute and the selection followed. What stood out was who remained with him. Paul Seixas was still there.

From that point, the race reduced to its essentials. Pogacar and Seixas moved clear and built their advantage, with the 19-year-old holding the wheel through the key phase of the Monument.

Only on the final ascent of Roche-aux-Faucons did the difference come, Pogacar attacking to go clear and ride to victory, with Seixas finishing second at around 45 seconds.

It was a performance that drew immediate attention, not just for the result but for how it was achieved. Speaking after the finish to RMC Sport, race director Christian Prudhomme pointed to the level reached by the Decathlon CMA CGM Team rider, just days after his win at Flèche Wallonne. “It’s exceptional to see a rider like that, at 19, capable of holding on in one of cycling’s Monuments, after his triumph at Flèche Wallonne four days ago.”

The structure of the race made the effort more notable. An unusually large early break had forced teams into a long chase, disrupting the expected control, but once the key climbs arrived the strongest riders still emerged.

Seixas was not dropped in that transition. He remained present as the race moved from selection to attack, and when Pogacar accelerated on La Redoute, he was among the very few able to follow.

That sequence shaped the outcome. The gap only opened on the final climb, rather than earlier in the race, underlining how long Seixas was able to match the pace in terrain that typically decides Liège. Prudhomme framed that as something more than a single ride. “He is opening a new chapter, in a way.”

The reaction extended beyond cycling when Prudhomme assessed what Seixas’ emergence represents. “His arrival is dizzying for French sport… it’s like Leon Marchand at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: that is to say a pure talent, very young, who arrives.”

The comparison to Leon Marchand speaks to the immediacy of the impact. At 19, Seixas was not riding conservatively for a placing. He was part of the move that decided the Monument, holding position alongside the strongest rider in the race until the final separation.

The effect of that performance is immediate. Seixas moves from an emerging name to a rider expected to feature when races reach this point. Prudhomme’s closing words reflected that longer-term view. “I hope he is here to stay.”

Pogacar delivered the result that was expected, making the decisive move on the final climb and adding another Monument to his record.

But Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2026 also established something alongside that. When the race was reduced to its defining moment, Seixas was not reacting from behind. He was already there.