LIEGE (Belgium) — Teenage French starlet Paul Seixas is keen to test himself against the two juggernauts of cycling’s peloton at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day classic.
World champion Tadej Pogacar and Olympic gold medallist Remco Evenepoel are the two star names on the start list but Seixas’s rapidly burgeoning reputation sees him increasingly mentioned in the same breath, AFP reported.
He arrives at the year’s fourth prestigious Monument race on the back of yet another impressive showing for a 19-year-old with a comprehensive victory at La Fleche Wallonne on Wednesday, although neither Pogacar nor Evenepoel were there.
Belgian Evenepoel feels that Seixas is not yet ready to challenge at Liege given that the race covers 260 kilometres and around 90 minutes more effort than was the case at the 200km Fleche Wallonne.
“Seixas’s effort was impressive but it will be totally different in a 260km race — he’s only 19,” Evenepoel had said at a press conference on Friday.
“Tadej and I undoubtedly have a bit more in the tank.”
It is true that Seixas has performed better during his brief career over shorter distances, winning Fleche Wallonne and the Ardeche Classic, finishing second at Strade Bianche and third at the European Championships — behind Pogacar and Evenepoel.
None of those races surpassed 200km, whereas at the significantly longer Tour of Lombardy (238km) and World Championships (267km) last year, Seixas could finish only seventh and 13th respectively.
But he is eager to test himself against the two giants of the sport, particularly Slovenia’s Pogacar, who beat him into second at Strade Bianche.
“Obviously, (racing against Pogacar) can only improve me,” the Decathlon CMA CGM team leader said.
“I will try to compete with them.” But he does not expect to beat Pogacar, yet. “I raced him at Strade Bianche and we saw the result,” said Seixas, who finished a minute down.
“I think Tadej is now the best rider of all time.”