Paul Seixas record-breaking, beat even… Tadej Pogacar

At only 19 years old, Paul Seixas scored the first victory of his professional career on Thursday, imposing himself in the second stage of the Tour de l’Algarve in Portugal. An early and authoritative triumph that confirms the high expectations placed in the young French talent. The rider from Lyon didn’t just open his own palmarès: he did so by beating opponents of the highest level. At the finish line he preceded the Spanish Juan Ayuso and the Portuguese João Almeida, two references of international cycling.

With 19 years, 4 months and 25 days, Seixas becomes the youngest rider to win a stage at the Tour de l’Algarve. More generally, very few cyclists in recent years have been able to impose themselves in a race of this level at such a green age. To find a similar precedent one has to go back to 2019, when Remco Evenepoel triumphed at the Tour de Belgique, showing comparable precocity.

The most striking parallel, however, is with Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian champion also took his first victory among the pros on the very second stage of the Tour de l’Algarve in 2019. At the time, Pogačar was 20 years and 5 months old, almost a year older than Seixas is today. An inevitable comparison that fuels the excitement around the young Frenchman.