Talented young French rider Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) took another gigantic step towards the uppermost levels of the sport with a knock-out victory in the opening time trial stage of the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country.
One of the earliest starters on a very hilly 13.8-kilometre course through Bilbao, Seixas clinched the first WorldTour victory and the first time trial win of his incipient career with a jaw-dropping 23-second margin on Kévin Vauquelin (Ineos Grenadiers) and a 27-second gap on Felix Großschartner (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
While former double overall winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was a promising fourth, 28 seconds back, the Frenchman took a considerable margin over two key contenders, Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), who lost 1:16 and almost all hope of repeating his 2024 GC victory in a considerably below-expectations TT. Meanwhile, the man with two week-long WorldTour stage wins this spring, Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was almost equally disappointing 51 seconds back.
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How it unfolded
The 17th rider of 154 down the TT ramp on a warm afternoon in Bilbao, Roglič, given his track record of Itzulia victories, was all but bound to…
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