"His descending gives no margin for error": Cyrille Guimard pinpoints the greatest weakness of Paul Seixas
Cycling
Isaac Del Toro’s victory at the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and the crash that forced Paul Seixas to abandon have been two of the most discussed topics in the international peloton in recent days. Cyrille Guimard weighed in on both, analysing the Mexican’s progression and the situation of Decathlon CMA CGM’s young French talent with an eye on the upcoming Tour de France.
In his latest column for Cyclism'Actu, the veteran French commentator again took a notably critical stance on aspects of Seixas’s development, particularly his descending technique and the prospect of starting the next Tour at just 19 years of age.
Paul Seixas’s withdrawal on the final stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes came as a consequence of his crash the day before. In the wake of that incident, Guimard revisited a point he has raised before.
"If we look for Paul Seixas’s weak spot, for me, it’s his descending. Everything he does is pretty, fluid and clean, but he has no margin for error. I already said it during Itzulia: he’ll have to brake a little more and, above all, work on his technique in fast corners. I repeat, he has no safety buffer. At the slightest mistake, or with a touch too much speed, he can’t recover."
Exposing himself to unnecessary risks
The Frenchman believes the issue is not poor descending ability, but rather the lack of control. A rider with strong cyclocross background which saw him finish 6th at the junior European Championships, Seixas definitely doesn't lack in technical aspect - and he's not afraid to show it - but sometimes haste makes waste.
Guimard expanded on that idea when pressed on a view that few publicly share within the cycling milieu.
"I never said he descends badly. I said he has no margin for error, which is different. His lines are clean. He may open them too early, but that’s another matter. The main issue is his angles, which he doesn’t fully master yet. So he can’t correct much. While it works, it’s marvellous, perfect, extraordinary. But the day it doesn’t, you sink straight away."
In his analysis, the young French rider operates on a very fine line between efficiency and risk, a situation that, in his view, was once again exposed by the crash in the French race.
Paul Seixas at the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes
Doubts over his presence at the Tour de France
Beyond the crash, Guimard was also asked about Seixas potentially landing at the Tour de France. Far from embracing the idea, he insisted it is premature to take on a race of such magnitude at such a young age.
"The reality, as I’ve already said, is that he’s too impatient. And patience shows no mercy. If we look at Pogacar’s dominance and Isaac Del Toro, we’re already talking about two riders from the same team. And then there’s Vingegaard. Racing the Tour at 19… The talking points are ready: 'He’ll learn, he’ll gain experience.' I’m sorry, but when you sit an entrance exam for a prestigious university, you don’t go to learn how to take exams. You go to succeed."
The commentator went even further, outlining when, in his view, would be the right time to debut at the Grande Boucle.
"Paul Seixas is a rider who should make his Tour de France debut when he’s practically in a position to win it. That’s not the case today. Even if he had finished second, he’d have been beaten. If it had been David Gaudu, for example, we’d say it was a fantastic result. But not for Seixas. There are lots of people with a vested interest in seeing him on the Tour start line… Well, he’s already made his decision, full stop."
Despite the Decathlon CMA CGM rider’s abandonment, Guimard does not believe the incident changes his overall assessment of the rider or the wisdom of him racing the Tour.
"No. He has plenty of time to recover, and I hope it doesn’t affect his physical well-being. But ultimately, this crash could be a positive if it pushes him to seek more safety. If so, all the better. It won’t change anything for the Tour, but it might make some people think twice. I mean those with political and economic interests. Because for him, riding the Tour is also a commercial matter."
Isaac Del Toro keeps confirming his rise
The other big name assessed by Guimard was Isaac Del Toro, winner of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and one of the most closely watched riders in the international peloton.
Asked about the Mexican’s performance, the Frenchman made clear that his display did not surprise him.
"No, I wasn’t impressed. It’s consistent with his level since last year. If you look closely, he must have eighteen or twenty wins since last year (26, editor’s note). He wins some major races, often solo, and he also produces big rides in support of his leader. He’s on a perfectly logical trajectory."
For Guimard, Del Toro’s evolution follows a natural progression he has shown for months and which was again evident in this latest race.
"Clearly, he came into this Dauphiné not fully prepared, then improved as the stages went by. The three summit finishes largely locked down the race, and we didn’t see a real battle between the leaders before that. This allowed riders not in the GC fight to produce standout performances. The race was lively and interesting."
Finally, Guimard also weighed up the performances of other key names present at the race.
"As for the general classification, we didn’t learn much. We know Ayuso isn’t quite at his best. Del Toro is on the up. As for Matteo Jorgenson, he’s coming off a collarbone fracture from the Amstel Gold Race. His ride there was more than acceptable given the injury. At his best, he could have been a dangerous rival for Del Toro, perhaps even more so."
Isaac del Toro at the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
An analysis that again places the Mexican among the standout riders of the moment, while keeping open the debate on the sporting management of one of French cycling’s brightest prospects.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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