"I'm not at the point of saying that I'm the best or in the top three" - Paul Seixas seals breakthrough Itzulia win

Paul Seixas has had an Itzulia Basque Country performance that will live on for ages. He has won three out of the six stages, led the race from start to finish, and looked the strongest every single day in a race designed for the climbers.

With the breakaway taking the win on three separate occasions, the Frenchman only had three real opportunities, but seized them all. It was an impressive display of power, consistency and also downhill skills which were previously not seen in such form.

"It's incredible, especially considering today, I felt great again. My team did an amazing job positioning me right up until I decided to attack and the battle started," the Frenchman said after stage 6, in which he officially secured the overall win.

It was a complicated day, with Decathlon failing to place riders in the massive breakaway that turned the GC on its head, and then with Seixas himself quickly isolated when the race exploded still far from the finish.

He looked to ride on by himself to bridge into the main breakaway group but this was not possible. However even after spending so much energy riding by himself in the wind, he could afford to then wait for the group of his rivals and follow them to the finish in Bergara.

The rainy day proved to be a proper final challenge for his race lead which withstood thick and thin. "It was a very tough day for everyone. I'm happy to be able to take the overall and three stages, it's truly magnificent".

After this week, no doubt the comparisons with the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard will increase further, and the story that can mark this summer continues to develop.

"I know, of course, that I can compete with the best in the world. Then again, there were a few riders who weren't there, who crashed or who weren't feeling well," he admits. "So, I'm not at the point of saying that I'm the best or in the top three. In any case, I know that I can race a bit with them and run ahead with ambitions. That's what's good".