Updated October 12, 2026 02:51AM
Paul Seixas capped one of the greatest breakout seasons of modern cycling by obliterating one of Tadej Pogačar’s treasured climbing records at Il Lombardia.
It was a 7 watts-per-kilo assault on the climbing hierarchy that should have Remco Evenepoel and Isaac Del Toro worried.
But as far as Seixas is concerned, a climbing record means nothing in a Race of the Falling Leaves asterisked *without Pogačar.
Any comparison to the absent GOAT is futile – and not something the 20-year-old sensation wants to entertain.
“I wouldn’t even put myself second behind Tadej Pogačar,” Seixas said Saturday after he ended Pogačar’s five-year reign over Il Lombardia.
“And it’s not one race that makes you better than others. I don’t want to compare myself with anyone.”
But sorry Paul, the comparisons to Pogačar started a long time ago.
Cycling hasn’t seen a supertalent of such a level since some baby-faced Slovenian exploded onto the scene in 2019.
Seixas crushes rivals on Civiglio
Even more Seixas vs. Pogačar comparisons are being drawn after Il Lombardia.
The recently-turned 20-year-old didn’t kick when he made his winning move on the steep slopes of the Civiglio. He simply rode away from an all-star cast of WorldTour talents.
He made it look easy.
“I don’t think he really attacked,” Pidcock told Cycling Pro Net at the finish. “He just kind of made his own pace. A high pace. He was super strong.”
According to Velon, Seixas climbed the 4.1km, 10 percent, Civglio in 11:54. That’s 38 seconds faster than Pogačar’s previous record of 12:32 from 2022.
Data sleuth Na1chaca estimates the spindly Frenchman averaged 7.14w/kg with a move so casual he even had time to ride no-handed while he faffed with his bottles.
For a rider thought to weigh around 64kg, that’s some 460 watts.
Sure, those numbers aren’t world-beating for such a short effort. And the climbing time and Strava KoMs mean nothing given the influence of wind direction and racing dynamics.
But there’s no denying Seixas’ exerted Pogi-level dominance at Il Lombardia, and he executed it in Pogi-esque fashion.
He even had energy left in the legs to shred the trails of the Roc d’Azur MTB race early the next morning.
A huge, but uncertain, future
Seixas’ statement victory Saturday in his last road race of his season leaves cycling with a double cliffhanger.
After victories at La Flèche Wallonne, Itzulia Basque Country, and Il Lombardia, and fourth on debut at the Tour de France, what might the precious wonderkid achieve next year?
His Civiglio move Saturday wasn’t even his best-ever power performance – he pushed more power for longer when he blew away Matteo Jorgenson at the Faun Ardèche Classic in February.
But even when he wasn’t at his best, Seixas beat pre-race favorite Remco Evenepoel by more than a minute on Saturday. Evenepoel and late-season standouts Enric Mas, Giulio Ciccone, Tom Pidcock, and Brandon McNulty had no answers in the falling leaves.
If Seixas continues to progress as fast as he has since winning the Tour de l’Avenir in summer 2025, every climber except Pogačar has something to worry about in 2027. Not even Jonas Vingegaard should consider himself immune from a kid who’s skipping all the steps in the development ladder.
The second lingering question: What does Seixas’ long-term future look like?
He seems likely to stay at Decathlon CMA-CGM for 2027, but nothing has been confirmed.
Things are far more uncertain beyond that.
Speculation continues to swirl around the long-term future of cycling’s hottest new talent. Visma-Lease a Bike and Netcompany Ineos are reported to be leading the hunt for Seixas’ services from 2028 and beyond.
L’Equipe reported Sunday that decisions might be made as soon as this week.
Seixas won’t bow down to Pogačar in 2027
Expect the Pogačar-Seixas comparisons to come thick and fast in 2027.
Neither rider has hinted at their race schedules for the new year, but they’ll almost inevitably clash in the Ardennes classics and Tour de France.
Seixas knows that Pogačar will, of course, be the favorite in all situations.
But he won’t just bow down to the undisputed World No.1.
“It’s a dream for me to one day really compete against Tadej, to really be able to compete,” Seixas said Saturday. “He’s the best rider in the world.
“I won a monument classic, but to beat Tadej is something else,” Seixas said Saturday. “Maybe I will never beat him. But I will always try. If you don’t try, you will never succeed.”
Seixas is so self-assured that, to him, his victory at Il Lombardia means nothing as much as it means everything.
Expect him to upend the established hierarchy in 2027.