Results La Flèche Wallonne 2026 | 19-year-old Paul Seixas conquers Mur de Huy despite mid-race crash scare

Paul Seixas turned adversity into a defining statement at La Flèche Wallonne 2026, overcoming an earlier crash to power to victory on the Mur de Huy and confirm his status as cycling’s most exciting emerging force.

The 19-year-old Frenchman delivered a perfectly timed effort on the final climb, launching his decisive move in the closing metres to distance his rivals and secure a remarkable win in his first participation in the race.

The race followed a familiar script through its opening phases, with a six-man breakaway given limited freedom as the peloton kept tight control. Sjoerd Bax, Andreas Leknessund, Jardi van der Lee, Alan Jousseaume, Jakub Otruba and Vincent Van Hemelen formed the early move, but their advantage was never allowed to grow beyond three minutes as the major teams managed the race with the Mur de Huy firmly in mind.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG were among the most active in the peloton, setting a steady but controlled tempo that gradually increased the pressure heading into the local circuit.

The dynamic shifted as the race intensified on the finishing laps, with a series of crashes disrupting the peloton and reshaping the list of contenders. Former winner Marc Hirschi was among the riders forced out of contention, while Guillaume Martin, Warren Barguil and Diego Ulissi were also caught up in incidents.

Seixas himself was not immune to the chaos. The pre-race favourite was reported to have crashed earlier in the race and was later seen riding with a bloodied arm, a moment that briefly cast doubt over his chances before the decisive finale.

As the race entered its final phase, Andreas Leknessund launched a solo move from the remnants of the early breakaway, briefly holding off the peloton as the race approached its decisive moments. The Norwegian’s effort ultimately came to an end on the Côte de Cherave, where the pace in the peloton proved too high for any attacks to stick, setting up the expected showdown on the Mur de Huy.

A reduced group of favourites arrived together at the base of the final climb, with positioning proving crucial as the pace briefly stalled in the opening metres. Seixas remained composed near the front, surrounded by key rivals including Ben Tulett and Benoît Cosnefroy, as the tension built on the steep gradients.

The decisive moment came in the final sector of the climb. After an initial acceleration around the S-bend, Seixas launched a second, more powerful move in the closing metres, one that finally broke the resistance of his rivals. Tulett was unable to respond, while Mauro Schmid and Cosnefroy also faded as the young Frenchman surged clear to take a memorable victory.

In a race that built steadily before exploding on the Mur de Huy, Seixas proved he had both the resilience and the explosive power required to win one of cycling’s most specialised finishes.

After a day shaped by crashes, pressure and positioning, the final result ultimately came down to a single decisive effort, and on the Mur de Huy, no one could match Paul Seixas.