San Francisco Frontiers - Young pretender Seixas threatens to rule cycling after sensational year

He was also the fourth youngest ever winner of one of cycling's prestigious Monument one-day classics.

By contrast, that was more than two years younger than Tour de France king Tadej Pogacar and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel when they won Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Even the great Eddy Merckx was 260 days older than Seixas when he won Milan-San Remo in 1966.

It has been a truly remarkable season, mostly as a teenager.

Seixas announced himself in February with his first senior victory at the Faun-Ardeche Classic, where he simply rode a host of strong climbers off his wheel.

It was the same at Lombardia.

"He didn't really attack, he just kind of made his own pace, a high pace," said Tom Pidcock, who finished sixth. "He was super strong."

Seixas won his first World Tour level events in April -- the week-long Tour of the Basque Country and the Fleche Wallonne one-day classic.

Then, in July, he finished fourth in his debut Grand Tour, while under intense media scrutiny at the Tour de France.

But there had been a feeling in some quarters that he was running out of steam as he was beaten by Isaac Del Toro in a sprint finish at the Montreal GP last month after losing concentration in the run-in.

Then, back in Montreal at the world championships two weeks ago, he cramped up in the final few kilometres when in medal contention and limped home in 15th.

However, a week before that he won an impressive time-trial world bronze medal.

And in Lombardia, he seemed to be back in the kind of form that made him the only rival able to even attempt to follow a swashbuckling Pogacar when he launched his long-range attacks at Strade Bianche and Liege.

- 'Incredible mental maturity' -

Some people criticised Seixas for lacking panache at the Tour, but he had crashed out of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes a month earlier, was riding a three-week tour for the first time in his life, and, like everyone else, was trying to manage riding through a heatwave with 40C temperatures.

"We all know about his physical attributes, but he has incredible mental maturity," said Seixas's sporting director at Decathlon CMA CGM, Julien Jurdie.

"He already masters all the elements. He's a true champion -- everyone listens to him."

And he has delivered in a way that makes him stand out.

Pogacar at the same age was still racing at under-23 level.

Seixas's results this year are better than Pogacar's achievements were at a year older, in 2019 when he won the Tour of California and finished third at the Vuelta a Espana.

But within a couple of years, Pogacar was already looking virtually unbeatable -- whether in one-day classics or stage races.

Until he crashed out of the Vuelta in late August, Pogacar had won six out of nine Grand Tours, twice finishing second to Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour and coming third in his debut at the Vuelta.

He has not finished outside the top five of a Monument since the 2020 Milan-San Remo, winning nine of his last 13.

Seixas is not at Pogacar's level and it remains to be seen whether he can progress as much.

"We keep working hard... to win as much as we can until he destroys everybody!" Pogacar said after being pushed to the limit by Seixas at Liege in April.

It is perhaps unlikely that the Frenchman makes the same meteoric improvement, though, as Pogacar was not as diligent in his preparation in his early career as Seixas is already.

But that dedication will stand Seixas in good stead.

"I'm always motivated, I take training seriously. It's my passion," said Seixas.

L.Lopez--SFF