“I don’t think I realise what I’ve done yet” - 20-year-old Paul Seixas rewrites Il Lombardia history with breathtaking Monument breakthrough
Cycling
Paul Seixas has become the youngest winner in Il Lombardia history at just 20 years old after blowing the race apart on Civiglio and riding alone into Como for the first Monument victory of his career.
The Decathlon CMA CGM rider finished 48 seconds clear of Enric Mas, with Giulio Ciccone third at 1:05, after Remco Evenepoel, Tom Pidcock and Isaac del Toro were all unable to stay with him through the decisive final phase of the race.
“It’s crazy. I think I don’t realise for now,” Seixas said at the finish. “Everything went perfect. The teammates did a great, awesome job. Everyone pushed more than what they had to do, and yeah, I had amazing legs.”
Seixas makes his move on Civiglio
The decisive selection came on Civiglio. Pidcock and Ciccone were initially able to stay close when Seixas lifted the pace, but the Frenchman continued to press until both had lost contact. Mas later rode his way through into second, while Evenepoel was already fighting to limit his losses further down the climb.
“I had the feeling that today was a great day, and I managed to make the difference at the moment I chose, maybe a bit earlier, because I felt like the rhythm was not high enough at the start of the climb – for me at least – to make the difference,” Seixas explained. “So I had to accelerate early, maybe a bit too early. There was some not really steep parts, so I had to manage really efforts and accelerate in the hard parts.”
By the summit, Seixas had established a clear advantage over Mas and Ciccone. From there, the race changed from a climbing battle into a long solo effort towards the final ascent of San Fermo della Battaglia. “Then I did the best I could, a TT, me against myself and yeah, it was crazy.”
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Victory only sinks in on San Fermo
Mas and Ciccone took a few seconds back on the descent from Civiglio, but Seixas remained comfortably clear as the race reached San Fermo. He still refused to consider the job finished. The gap, he said, was “not enough to think about the win before the end of the last climb”.
“Then at the end of the last climb I started believing and I just had to not make mistakes on the downhill, so I was careful.”
Seixas extended his advantage again on San Fermo before descending into Como, where the scale of the result was waiting for him. “I don’t realise what I’ve done, I think,” he said.
The victory gave Decathlon CMA CGM its first Monument and ended a five-edition run of Il Lombardia wins for Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates - XRG. No rider younger than Seixas had ever won the race.
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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- Seixas is an amazing rider. Remco disappointed. Del Toro should rather have withdrawn if he had an injury linked to over-training. Anyway, a satisfying end to the season.Hills3310-10-2026
- History books won't care who had good legs or bad legs, or who did or didn't get laid last night; what the history books say is that Del Toro and Remco are two losers, while Seixas is a Monument winner at the age of 20. Let's not forget who was the only one that could follow Pogi in Strade Bianche. Paul Seixas, not Del Toro. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans10-10-2026
- History books don't care who had good legs or bad legs, or who did or didn't get laid last night; what the history books say is that Del Toro and Remco are two BS losers, while Seixas is a Monument winner at the age of 20. Let's not forget who was the only one that could follow Pogi in Strade Bianche. Paul Seixas, not Del Toro.PogiSloFans10-10-2026
- Del Toro has a knee injury.Hills3310-10-2026
- UAE doesn't exist without Pogačar, and when all is said and done, that’s exactly what it looks like today. DelToro had two chances, golden opportunities and showed that he isn't the one, even though Tadej keeps pushing him to the forefront. He simply doesn't have it in him. Seixas has a Monument at age 20, while Del Toro has nothing... an empty trophy cabinet when it comes to the races that actually matter. Everything else is just empty talk. A single San Remo or a single PR or Flanders means more to Pogačar than six Montreals, 10 UAE Tours or 15 Tireno wins combined. Bravo Seixas, your the man to watch.PogiSloFans10-10-2026
- Remcos ego got between the line and success
leedorney10-10-2026 - Well, that is a good point but probably no one. Seixas might be close. We will see in the next two to three years.PogiSloFans10-10-2026
- Things do need to change. Everyone, journalists in particular need to hold the UCI’s feet to the fire and bring about real change so this isn’t repeated!Paul53110-10-2026
- There is one common denominator in all of these situations, the UCI. If the race organisers ignore the recommendations of SafeR or they fall below the standards expected or a reasonably competent race organisation by allowing vehicles onto the course and endangering riders lives then surely the one organisation that can exercise sanctions is the UCI. It seems that the UCI big wigs are very happy to drink champagne in the VIP enclosures and bask in the glory of these events but are a toothless tiger when things go wrong. How many Finley Tarling or Muriel Furrer incidents does the sport have to endure until the UCI starts acting? I have to say that it’s encouraging the riders have made a protest and full marks to Adam Hansen for his endeavours, it can’t be easy trying kick such an intransigent organisation to actually do something more useful that legislate on sock lengths and handlebar widths!Paul53110-10-2026
- Oh come on!Lozza10-10-2026
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