“I’m just a bit annoyed by Sepp Kuss” – Paul Seixas vents sprint frustration after 19-year-old’s stunning first Tour de France mountain test
CyclingThursday, 09 July 2026 at 20:00
Paul Seixas finished fifth on the first high-mountain stage of his Tour de France career, then admitted frustration with Sepp Kuss after the sprint behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard in Gavarnie-Gedre.
The 19-year-old Decathlon CMA CGM Team rider came home 2:57 behind Pogacar on Stage 6, crossing the line alongside Isaac del Toro, Remco Evenepoel, Florian Lipowitz, Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose. Kuss finished 10th, 3:06 down on Pogacar, after the chase group split in the final metres.
“I managed my climb”
Seixas had already impressed across the opening week, but the Col du Tourmalet offered the first full mountain examination of his debut Tour. UAE Team Emirates – XRG ripped the race apart before the summit, with Del Toro launching Pogacar clear before the Slovenian rode alone to the stage win and yellow jersey.
Behind Pogacar and Vingegaard, Seixas stayed in the heart of the GC chase. He crested the Tourmalet with Del Toro and Lipowitz, then was part of the group that came back together on the descent and final climb towards Gavarnie-Gedre.
“It was very hard, honestly, but it was going pretty well,” Seixas said in his first reaction to RMC after the finish. “I managed my climb.”
The result lifted Seixas to sixth overall in the general classification, 3:55 behind Pogacar, and third in the youth classification behind Del Toro and Ayuso. On the first proper mountain stage of his first Tour, the Frenchman finished ahead of several established GC names and only behind Pogacar, Vingegaard, Del Toro and Evenepoel on the day.
Seixas frustrated by Kuss in sprint
Seixas later continued in English with other journalists, accepting that Pogacar had been out of reach once the UAE leader went clear on the Tourmalet. “Tadej was very strong,” he said. “I think I’m where I belong at the finish.”
The irritation came from the final sprint within the chase group. Seixas placed fifth on the stage, behind Del Toro and Evenepoel, with Lipowitz sixth, Ayuso seventh and Skjelmose eighth. Kuss, who had been part of the same chase behind Pogacar and Vingegaard, finished 10th, nine seconds further back.
“I’m just a bit annoyed by Sepp Kuss, who did whatever in the sprint,” Seixas added.
Pogacar left Gavarnie-Gedre in yellow after a brutal Tourmalet attack, while Vingegaard moved second overall. Seixas left the first high-mountain stage of his Tour career fifth on the day, sixth on GC and still right among the strongest young riders in 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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Rafionain-Glas09-07-2026 - Jonas managed to keep the gap to Pog at under 40 seconds for a long way down the descent. So Pog seemed to be simply more consistent in the long run. The chasing group also started getting closer to Jonas. I was wondering if they might all have closed the gap significantly if Kuss had pulled the chasers close to Jonas and Jonas had helped them on the last climb before pulling away again.Hills3309-07-2026
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PogiFan2Day09-07-2026 - What stage did you watched? Remco was behind Lipo. He is the one closing gaps on his own teammate...MajorPayne09-07-2026
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