As France prepares to say au revoir at the end of the final stage of Sunday\u2019s final stage of the Criterium du Dauphin\u00e9 to Romain Bardet, their standard-bearer in the Tour de France for the best part of a decade, it is becoming quickly acquainted with the precocious talent of 18-year-old Paul Seixas, who jumped two places up the GC in Saturday\u2019s queen stage to Valmeinier 1800.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s still far too early to anoint Seixas as a Grand Tour contender in waiting, it\u2019s rapidly becoming clear that the teenager from Lyon is blessed with extraordinary ability and maturity. These qualities were amply demonstrated on the road to Valmeinier 1800, particularly on the final climb, where Seixas had teammate Bruno Armirail set the pace for him at the front of a yellow jersey group containing Tadej Poga\u010dar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and several other of the peloton\u2019s superstars.<\/p>\n
Speaking to CyclingPro.Net at the stage finish, Seixas admitted that he\u2019d struggled during the day but said that he was delighted with how he had stood up to the challenge of racing with the very best stage racers. \u201cHonestly, I managed it well. It was extremely tough, both mentally and physically,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the first pass, it was full throttle. I didn\u2019t feel great from the start. For the first 30 minutes, it was OK. Towards the end of the pass, I wasn\u2019t feeling so good. I told myself that I should see how it went on the Croix de Fer. I got my legs back there when the pace slowed down a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Seixas said that his key objective on the final climb to Valmeinier 1800 was to avoid exploding completely. \u201cI felt that I\u2019d suffered on the previous climbs, but that\u2019s normal and I think I managed it really well,\u201d he said, before going on to explain why Armirail had set the pace for him there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe strategy was mainly for him to protect me, and then I preferred to go at my own pace, rather than at a crazy pace of Visma\u2019s where they were going full gas. I didn\u2019t want to give everything right away because I didn\u2019t know if I was going to be able to hold on. In the end, it went pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n
For first-year pro Seixas, every day of racing is about gaining experience, not only of rival teams and riders, but also of the climbs and conditions. He admitted that he\u2019d struggled in the heat on the Valmeinier 1800 stage, \u201cespecially at the end. When you\u2019re going full throttle, you feel it ten times more.\u201d<\/p>\n
As that experience grows, so too is his confidence. He\u2019s risen through the GC rankings on every stage at the Dauphin\u00e9 and goes into the final day looking to defend sixth place. \u201cFor sure, I\u2019ve got a lot of confidence. The riders that I\u2019m up against are guys I used to see on TV who are really strong, and now I’ve managed to stay with them and be part of the contest. I feel really proud about that.\u201d<\/p>\n