Paul Seixas wins Giro di Lombardia at 20 with solo attack

Paul Seixas arrived at the Giro di Lombardia with ambitions that went well beyond improving on his debut. The Decathlon-CMA CGM rider had finished seventh last year, and L'Équipe reported on October 9 that he wanted to fight for victory in the final race of his season.

There was also disappointment to put behind him. According to France24, Seixas had been unhappy with his performance at the World Championships two weeks earlier. Lombardia offered a chance to finish his road campaign differently.

On October 10, Seixas made his decisive move on the Civiglio climb outside Como. Franceinfo placed the attack 18 kilometres from the finish; ABC put it at 19 kilometres. Both described a solo escape that carried him to victory.

At 20, he became the youngest winner in the race's history. La Repubblica reported that he broke Giovanni Gerbi's record, with Ciccone finishing third in Como. It was also Seixas's first Monument victory, according to Le Monde.

The win came without Tadej Pogačar in the field, DER SPIEGEL reported. In its October 11 coverage, CyclingNews highlighted Seixas's ambition to compete against Pogačar, a measure of how far his aims extend beyond this result.

His weekend did not end on the road. CyclingNews reported that he would race the Roc d'Azur CIC mountain bike event in Fréjus the next day. On October 11, L'Équipe covered his switch to mountain biking after Lombardia.

By October 13, another rider had a story to tell from that outing. L'Équipe reported that amateur Mathieu Cerusuela, a trainer of young riders and mountain bike and gravel enthusiast, had beaten Seixas in a sprint at Roc d'Azur CIC.

Seixas now has a first Monument and Lombardia's age record. Vg identifies Il Lombardia as one of cycling's five Monuments, giving the victory significance beyond a single late-season race.

The record applies specifically to Lombardia, not to all Monument races. AFP reported that Seixas is the fourth-youngest rider to win a Monument.

The next scheduled celebration is in Lyon. L'Équipe reported that Seixas, a Lyon native, will take the ceremonial kickoff when his favourite club, Olympique Lyonnais, hosts OGC Nice on October 18 at 20:45.