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18-04-2026 19:29
18-04-2026 19:28
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17-04-2026 11:27
+6
08-04-2026 13:51
01-04-2026 15:55
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17-02-2026 18:19
29-10-2025 12:19
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Sexass
Also Giro was >2 km/h faster than the Tour last year but that's immaterial18-04-2026 19:29
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Sexass
What makes sponsors of French teams put their hands in their pockets? I'd argue a 19 yo phenom, who just won France's first ever WT stage race, making his TdF debut, ranks quite highly. Does Decathlon (or indeed any team!) have 8 riders more worthy of a Tour spot? Seixas isn't made of candyfloss, and he'd be under the *least* pressure if he debuts this summer (compared to debuting aged 24 à la Remco for example). Look at Bernal making his GT debut at the 2018 Tour, then winning in 2019! Vuelta GT debuts aren't obligatory; from both a sporting and commercial perspective it makes so much sense to let Seixas race the Tour!18-04-2026 19:28
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Sexass
Send him to the Tour! Nobody's expecting a 19 year old to beat Pogi on debut. If he goes it'll likely be the least pressure he's under in July his entire career. Great learning experience! Then Giro-Vuelta double next year winning one or both, followed by TdF 2028 SmackDown: Pogi vs Seixas both in their prime!17-04-2026 11:27
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Sexass
Do you watch races? Perhaps you missed last year's Amstel Gold Race? It is nonsense to suggest that Pog can never be beaten tactically. Sure, for most riders at RvV it's impossible to compete with him, but MvdD isn't most riders. Pog may be the strongest ever, but you're still allowed to use tactics to try and increase your odds. Riding with him like a lamb to the slaughter isn't the only option. And you know who doesn't care about sitting on when it increases their chances? Tadej Pogačar! Just watch stage 1 of last year's Dauphiné08-04-2026 13:51
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Sexass
"Not especially mind-blowing palmares", "doomed GT fantasy"?? 76 pro wins at 26, Vuelta title, Tour podium, 2 monuments, 9 GT stage wins across all 3 GTs. Yeah, pretty unimpressive palmares w/out the double Olympic gold and 4x WC titles... Just because he's super memeable, doesn't mean he's not absolutely world class, and a fantastic teammate to boot! Indisputable that he's the 2nd best all-rounder in the world currently01-04-2026 15:55
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Sexass
Yeah, whilst MVDP would never break a bone on the MTB... 😂17-02-2026 18:19
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Sexass
It's subjective. Seixas turned 19 last month and he's already got a medal at EC, 8th at Dauphine and a l'Avenir win. No pro victories but a pretty spectacular neo-pro/breakthrough season I'd say. Magnier, a sprinter who's 2 years older and in his 2nd pro season, won 19 races this year. Stripping out .1 wins ("I don't count Tour de l'Ain as a true pro win") that decreases to 8 wins (including 5 at Guangxi; do you count that as a true WT race?). He came 2nd at Omloop, but only managed 1 podium in a neutralised stage of the Giro (which he abandoned after 2 weeks). del Toro, in his 2nd pro and final U23 season, won 18 races (8 if you strip out .1 wins and Mexican Champs). But I'm willing to bet he tops this poll so overwhelmingly due to his Giro podium. How to fairly compare different rider types at different ages on separate calendars? You can't; it's just a bit of fun. It's not ridiculous to claim anything (are Seixas' results against the highest level of competition better than Magnier's stat padding? Does Lipowitz's podium at the sport's marquee event trump 2nd at the Giro and a bunch of Italian chatGPT races?). At Seixas' age, Pogi hadn't won a single senior race (pro or amatuer) and his best result was 5th at the Tour of Slovenia. At del Toro's age, he had a yellow jersey, Vuelta podium, 6 GT stages, and a monument podium. Predicting a rider's potential is hard. Based on his current results, do I think Seixas is the next Pogi? Unlikely, because Pogi is one of the top 2 riders of all time. People like that don't come around often. But I admire his confidence and he's clearly a prodigious talent who's had an incredible breakthrough season. Winning 19 times is also an incredible achievement. But Magnier is a talented sprinter racking up his wins on the minor calendar. Despite his amazing consistency, I don't necessarily rate a hatful of wins in Eastern Europe and Guangxi above the achievements of other people on this list. But obviously different people value different things, and there's nothing wrong with that!29-10-2025 12:19