"I think that crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes hurt him" - Paul Seixas maturing quickly as he continues Tour de France journey
CyclingThursday, 23 July 2026 at 11:45
Paul Seixas is riding the race of his life at the 2026 Tour de France, amazingly sitting in fourth place in the general classification and just a matter of seconds behind Isaac del Toro in the battle for third place on the Paris podium.
After Tuesday's stage 16 time trial, the Decathlon CMA CGM teenager has shown incredible form in his first grand tour as he ventures into the unknown of the final week of La Grand Boucle. Holding his own amongst Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and the rest of the general classification favourites, it's all to play for for the Frenchman.
Seixas arrived at the Tour amongst a flurry of speculation about how he would adapt to the demands and the relentless intensity of the Tour, with a crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes both affecting his preparation and growing momentum heading into the race.
At just 19 years old, Seixas admitted a mistake in a descent leading to his crash in the June WorldTour race.
His teammate Nicholas Prodhomme sees forward progress in the weeks since as he noted the effect of the crash - which ultimately ended his participation in Auvergne - on Seixas and his positive response as a result.
Paul Seixas on stage 12
Prodhomme thinks Seixas is maturing fast
"He has matured, though. I think that crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes hurt him, but he also learned a lot," Prodhomme said on Tuesday.
"And it's true that even looking at yesterday [Sunday, Ed.] with Jonas's crash, we learn from the mistakes of others. It wasn't a mistake, it was an unfortunate racing incident, but it shows that you have to be vigilant at all times."
Vigilance is on Prodhomme's mind, when not helping pace the peloton in service of Seixas, he knows that the team have to cautious - particularly after witnessing two general classification riders crash out of the Tour in recent days in the form of Jonas Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz's abandons on Sunday and Tuesday.
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He added: "That's also part of our role as teammates, but not just as climbing teammates: it's the role of the team as a whole."
Seixas finds himself 7:11 adrift of Pogacar's yellow jersey but firmly in the battle for both the podium and white jersey with del Toro - who sits just twenty seconds ahead of him. Looking over his shoulder, the closest rider behind him is Juan Ayuso in fifth place at 9:22.
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.
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