“I didn’t make any mistakes... Paul Seixas rode like a boss” – Benoît Cosnefroy falls short leading UAE in Pogacar’s absence at Flèche Wallonne
Cycling
Benoît Cosnefroy was left reflecting on a race executed almost perfectly but ultimately decided by superior legs on the Mur de Huy, as he finished fourth at La Flèche Wallonne 2026.
Leading UAE Team Emirates - XRG in the absence of Tadej Pogacar, Cosnefroy arrived at the final climb exactly where he needed to be, but could not match the decisive acceleration of race winner Paul Seixas, crossing the line in 4th.
“The legs do the talking on the Mur”
After a race in which UAE Team Emirates-XRG helped shape the peloton and control the build up to the finale, Cosnefroy pointed to the simple reality of Flèche Wallonne. “The team did the best job possible today. And on the final Mur, like I said in interviews before, it’s the legs that do the talking,” Cosnefroy told Cycling Pro Net.
For a moment, it looked as though the Frenchman might be in contention for victory. Positioned near the front, he felt strong deep into the climb. “Honestly, I believed in it at 400 metres to go, I was still feeling good, but it caught up with me at 200. I started to feel it getting hard, and at 150 metres I was really suffering.”
On a finish as specific and unforgiving as the Mur de Huy, that shift in sensation is decisive, and Cosnefroy was left to fight for the remaining places as others surged past.
“I didn’t feel any hesitation”
From the outside, there appeared to be a slight lull at the base of the climb before the decisive moves were launched, but Cosnefroy rejected that interpretation. “I didn’t feel any hesitation, no. Honestly, at that moment all the teammates are on the limit and you’re just trying to find your leader, but it’s never easy.”
Instead, he pointed directly to the performance of Seixas, who proved strongest when it mattered most. “Paul rode like a boss today, he showed he was the strongest, so chapeau to him.”
No regrets despite falling short
Despite missing out on the podium, Cosnefroy was clear in his assessment of his own ride and left with little sense that the outcome could have been different. “Honestly, I gave my maximum, and you can’t be disappointed when you give everything. Tactically, I didn’t make any mistakes. I was exactly where I needed to be.”
Ultimately, the result came down to a simple hierarchy on the final climb. “It’s just that I was the fourth strongest today… or the third weakest, depending on how you look at it.”
UAE plan delivers position, but not victory
For UAE Team Emirates - XRG, the race followed the expected script in many ways. The team remained visible throughout, helped control the peloton and delivered their leader into the decisive moment in contention. But in a race that is so often reduced to a single explosive effort, even near perfect execution is not always enough.
On the Mur de Huy, there was little margin for anything beyond absolute peak form, and on this occasion Cosnefroy found himself just short of the level required to turn opportunity into victory.
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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- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
- There are only two people who will be competing with Tadej in 2027 and neither are Remco.awp12-11-2026
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