For 21.1km during Liège-Bastogne-Liège, rising superstar Paul Seixas perhaps gave everyone a look at the future of cycling as he matched the brutal attacks of Tadej Pogačar on La Redoute and threatened to undo the World Champion’s apparent invincibility uphill.
Seixas was talked up massively in the build-up as the main challenger to three-time Liège winner Pogačar, even in just his second-ever Monument appearance, but his absolute domination of Itzulia Basque Country and impressive victory at La Flèche Wallonne had warranted the hype.
And he lived up to it on the 260km of Sunday’s race, putting his team to work to help UAE bring back the massive early break, which contained Remco Evenepoel, before getting himself into prime position on Pogačar’s wheel during the fast and furious run to the foot of Redoute.
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It was here that he would confirm his promise, gritting his teeth and rocking his bike to dare and try and follow Pogačar, something which no one else either could, or as Evenepoel admitted, wanted to attempt, knowing it would surely end in them quickly cracking.
“As I always say, I start a race to win it, but we know that Tadej Pogačar has been dominant these last few years. Just being able to follow him is already something,” said Seixas in his post-race press conference, as reported by L’Equipe.
“At Strade, I found myself a bit isolated; I wasn’t able to be on his wheel when he attacked. Today, I was perfectly on his wheel on the Redoute climb, and that’s what allowed me to hang on at the top. I was really giving it my all, and being on his wheel is something else…”
Ultimately, Seixas was finally dropped on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons when Pogačar violently moved away from him in the saddle and rode solo to the finish with 13.9km to go, crossing the line 45 seconds in front of the Frenchman, who is doing things at 19 years old that even the Slovenian wasn’t capable of.
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