"Not everyone can perform that task" - Paul Seixas World Championships blow as key France teammate ruled out and replaced
Cycling
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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- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
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