"We have cards to play" - Paul Seixas and France have plan of attack for World Championships road race as he admits need to race 'smart'
CyclingMonday, 21 September 2026 at 11:34
Paul Seixas is buoyed by his performance at the World Championships time trial on Sunday as he looks ahead to this weekend's big one. Making his intentions clear for the elite men's road race, the Frenchman hopes he'll come of age just days after his 20th birthday.
From this Thursday, the Tour de France fourth place can no longer be described as a teenage sensation as he moves into his 20's just days before his second attempt at the elite men's road race. He finished 13th last year, but this time around anything is possible in his eyes.
But first, he took a third place in the time trial, finishing 16 seconds short of second place Filippo Ganna and some 1:13 off Remco Evenepoel's electric pace in Montreal. But Seixas was happy with his own pace even if it didn't quite have as high a voltage as the Belgian.
"I am obviously very happy with this podium," Seixas told CyclingProNet.
"It was quite close, and in terms of pacing I think I rode an almost perfect time trial for me. The sensations were there. I felt good, I was physically strong and we managed the time trial really well with the team."
Seixas believes he can win world title
The third place instills a belief that he can one day claim a time trial rainbow jersey. Admitting his respect for the discipline's two best riders, Seixas laid praise on his road rival this weekend Evenepoel - who won his fourth world title in a row.
"Maybe in the long term, one day I can aim for first place. But right now it is still a long way away.
"We saw that with Remco. He is really above the rest. He is a great champion and he is now four times world champion. That deserves respect. Filippo is also a great champion, so I am happy to be alongside those two guys."
Seixas wasn't actually on track for the podium by the final intermediate time check. He trailed Jakob Söderqvist by a handful of seconds before the Swedish rider crashed in the final kilometers. He did recover, but not enough to keep his third place as he finished fifth and 13 seconds behind the Frenchman.
Paul Seixas in action at the 2026 Time Trial World Championships
Seixas admits Söderqvist disappointment
"I don't like saying I was lucky, but Söderqvist was very strong today and he crashed Obviously that is not something you enjoy, even if in the end it worked in my favour.
"There is still that little bit of bitterness because I finished third after another rider crashed and we don't know what would have happened. I don't know exactly how much time he lost, but it is not nice for him."
Looking ahead to Sunday's road race, Seixas knows he can't compare the efforts but takes comfort in his strong sensations. He knows some big contenders lie in wait, but warned them that his French team have a plan of attack.
Read also
"I obviously hope to do better than today and to be on another step of the podium," he added.
"I think we have the team to do it. You cannot compare a time trial with a road race. There is durability, there is tactics and the effort is completely different. But physically I am strong and I feel good, which is very good news. I felt strong again today."
"Now we have to race well and race intelligently. There are some very big riders against me and I hope it goes well. But we have cards to play. Now we just have to play them."
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Pogi, the best of everything else... The G.O.A.T. of over all cycling!!!PogiSloFans21-09-2026
- How is it that these two journalists don't make any mention of the Swede who also had a fantastic ride and most likely would have bumped Seixas off tge podium if he hadn't hit the deck....I guess they're just too start struck to be a bit more objective.Zone0Rider21-09-2026
- Do you know who Mou is? Oh please, be so good and tell me.PogiSloFans21-09-2026
- Pogi hater... shush. Capish?PogiSloFans21-09-2026
- Battling it out with Longo stillJumpyjohn21-09-2026
- Remco has already set a record, only person ever to win 4 consecutives, as Longo had to skip a year during her streak. If he wins the road race he’ll be level at the road cycling top with 5, others having more have been in other disciplines or across several disciplines. How many has your man collected in all his years of domination, doesn’t seem to be his strong point, especially when you consider how often he’s avoided the Vuelta. You should know better now than to continue hyping him up. Pray he doesn’t have a change of heart and buy himself out of his contract to start a family.Jumpyjohn21-09-2026
- Funny how this guy doesn’t ask who Mou is when his thumb score shoots its load. Obviously doesn’t know too much about darts though.Jumpyjohn21-09-2026
- Hopefully she will still be (or again) when she files for divorce ;-) And so I don’t have to reply to the other guy directly, It’s rarely all and only about money, especially when people get older, there will be other incentives now.Jumpyjohn21-09-2026
- Actually, that was, at best not even half of Americans, and even a large proportion of them have come round to realising it was, yet another, fake American dream.Jumpyjohn21-09-2026
- You should know, he’s either a fellow countryman or neighbour of yours, and probably you were both born in the same part of the US. Why don’t you go back through past posts here, you may find back an old friend?Jumpyjohn21-09-2026
Loading
Write a comment