"I'm not at the point of saying that I'm the best or in the top three" - Paul Seixas seals breakthrough Itzulia win
Cycling
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.
Seixas cautious about where he stands in pro cycling
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".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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