"Not everyone can perform that task" - Paul Seixas World Championships blow as key France teammate ruled out and replaced
CyclingMonday, 14 September 2026 at 16:46
Paul Seixas has been dealt an early blow as the countdown to the World Championships intensifies. With just under two weeks until the elite men's road race, France have had to already make a change to their eight-rider line-up for Montreal.
The Decathlon youngster will turn 20 next week before the race, and spearheads an attacking line-up as he tries to win France's first rainbow jersey since Julian Alaphilippe's 2020 and 2021 victories. In a field without defending champion Tadej Pogacar, several contenders have emerged as favourites to win the race.
Seixas will have it all to do however after coming up just short against Isaac del Toro at the GP de Montreal on Sunday. And as his plans shift to the French team, he has already lost one teammate to an injury.
Visma | Lease a Bike youngster Louiu Barre will miss the Montreal race after suffering a hard crash in training before Friday's GP de Quebec. France national team coach Thomas Voeckler admitted that the news comes as a disappointment given that Barre was in-form and primed to support Seixas.
Louis Barre at the 2026 Tour de Pologne
Louis Barre ruled out of World Championships
“This year, Louis was one of the most important guys to help out. But if Paul has a problem, isn't having a good day, or perhaps even a bad one, then Louis could have been my second option. That's why it's really a shame,” Voeckler told Wielerflits.
Breaking down the loss, Voeckler admitted that finding a rider to fulfil Barre's role is the real difficulty, noting that it's not as simple as substituting in just any rider to fill the place.
“If you compare cycling to football: when an attacker drops out, you can’t just put a defender there. In my mind, Louis had a specific task on the day of the World Championship. Of course, not everyone can perform that task.”
Read also
Jordan Jegat called up as replacement
France have announced their replacement as Jodan Jegat comes in after his tenth place finish at the Tour de France. The TotalEnergies rider, heading to Lidl-Trek over winter, has shown strong form in the lead-up to Montreal.
Seixas will have a mix of experience and youth among his support as Jegat joins Pavel Sivakov, Bruno Armirail, Jordan Labrosse, Valentin Paret-Peintre, Alex Baudin and Nicolas Prodhomme.
Seixas is among the leading contenders for the win, with Isaac del Toro, Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert among the highest-profile favourites on Spetember 27th.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Nothing new there
Rafionain-Glas14-09-2026 - "In fact, UAE took 5,565 points at the Tour, a number that alone exceeds Visma’s combined Giro and Vuelta tally" Somebody clearly can't do the math herevappaxbipmv14-09-2026
- The only reason he caught Pogi is that Pogi didn't know Mas was chasing him and was taking it a little easy. Yes my friend, Mas surprised Pogi. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans14-09-2026
- Your comment makes more sense than what the author of this article wrote. PS: Mas is one of the biggest record breakers in the history of cycling!!! Sarcasm PressPogiSloFans14-09-2026
- Joke of the last decade: "The 2026 Vuelta a España has come to a conclusion and Enric Mas has been able to do what only two other riders in the history of the sport have managed to: Win a Grand Tour where Tadej Pogacar was at the start." !?!? PS: ... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ... One of the funniest jokes in cycling history, not because of Primož and Jonas ... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...PogiSloFans14-09-2026
- An excellent point, that Mas catching Pogačar on that steep goat track climb helped legitimize the win - had he just inherited the space and not passed Pogačar and not won the stage, I'd have far more questions. As it is, yes, sadly, a crash put him into the lead, but he earned the place to have taken that lead, and he defended it well when it mattered.RidesHills14-09-2026
- Weren't you staying away from these comment boards until Pogačar raced again?RidesHills14-09-2026
- The factor of the no-Pogacar, is another point of note, no one wins with Pogacar around or it's close.. I think their should be a rule, if Pogacar's in a race then his results should be ignored
leedorney14-09-2026 - what a garbage takewrsty14-09-2026
- Pity Kuss couldn’t find back his past performance except for one or two good stages. Makes you wonder how he ever managed to win it even if you ignore the others on the podium were restrained.Jumpyjohn14-09-2026
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