"It was a failure – I was terrible" – 18-year-old Paul Seixas given brutal introduction to men’s elite World Championships in Kigali

The men’s elite time trial at the 2025 World Championships in Kigali proved a baptism of fire for French teenager Paul Seixas. Stepping up to senior level at just 18, the promising star cut a dejected figure after finishing 16th, 4:14 down on runaway winner Remco Evenepoel.

Seixas stopped the clock at 54:00 on the 47.8 km Rwandan course, but his post-race words were as stark as his deficit. Speaking to France 3, he didn’t sugar-coat the experience: “I came here to learn how to handle such a long time trial, but today it was a failure. The legs just weren’t there — it’s a real disappointment to have prepared something like this and then been so poor. For the past two or three days I hadn’t been feeling as strong and I had doubts. I’m disappointed with my performance, but this isn’t the end.”

The Frenchman was equally blunt about his numbers on the road: “I can see my power values on the computer — I know full well I was terrible. It’s light-years away from what I do in training, and even further from what I can do in racing. Of course it’s a disappointment, but I came here to learn and I hope I can do the jersey proud next time.”

Seixas’ frustration was understandable given the level of opposition. Evenepoel’s storming ride brought him a third consecutive world title in the discipline, with Jay Vine taking silver and Ilan van Wilder bronze to complete Belgium’s first ever double podium in the event.

For Seixas, who only stepped up to the professional peloton this season, Kigali offered a taste of the gap between raw promise and the razor’s edge at the very top. Yet while the Frenchman left Rwanda disheartened, the experience may ultimately serve its intended purpose: the toughest of lessons in the art of the time trial.