Paul Seixas smashed expectations with bronze in Sunday’s TT, adding to speculation he can win road worlds.
Paul Seixas on the way to third in the elite worlds TT on Sunday (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images) (Photo: @DarioBelingheri/@GettyImages)
Updated September 20, 2026 05:02PM
Paul Seixas may not have won the time trial at the road world championships on Saturday, but he did himself a lot of favors in terms of the perception of him as a future Tour winner.
Still just 19 years of age, he outperformed many TT specialists to secure the bronze medal. He finished 1:13 behind the winner Remco Evenepoel and just 16 seconds off the silver medal of Filippo Ganna (Italy).
To put his performance into full context, he was a distant 16th in last year’s worlds TT, four minutes and 14 seconds behind Evenepoel.
Going three minutes quicker this time around shows how much he has progressed in 12 months.
“I’m really happy with this podium, of course,” the Frenchman said at the finish, speaking to Cycling Pro Net.
“It was quite close and I did a time trial that was almost perfect for me in terms of management. I think the feelings were right. I felt good, strong physically, and we managed the timing well with the team, and they put me in the best position to do it.
“I’m happy with the work of both my coach and the French team and also my team who always supports me. That’s great. Now I’m happy to bring back this beautiful medal.
“I hope it also gives confidence for the time trial to the younger categories.”
A future world champion?
Gold medalist Remco Evenepoel congratulated Paul Seixas on his strong performance (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Seixas has the reputation of being a climber. He’s certainly built that way, and most of his big performances in the past have come in the hills and mountains.
He’s also far less aerodynamic than a rider such as Evenepoel, sitting rather upright on the TT bike and not looking as streamlined as many of the TT specialists.
However his horsepower is such that such considerations can be overcome.
Given where he finished last year and how much his level has risen, winning the rainbow jersey in this disciple doesn’t seem out of the question at all.
He doesn’t disagree with that but, for now, he wants to savor what he has done rather than think too far ahead.
“In the long term, maybe I could aim for first place one day, but for now it’s still far off,” he said.
“We saw it with Remco, who is really above the rest. He’s a great champion and now he’s a four-time world champion. It’s respected. Pippo [Ganna] is also a very great champion. I’m happy to be alongside these two guys.”
Seixas acknowledged that Jacob Söderqvist had been riding very strongly but had crashed. The Norwegian was five seconds ahead of the Frenchman at the final checkpoint but fell soon afterwards. He ended up fifth.
To his credit, Seixas recognized that Söderqvist might have beaten him and, if so, that this would have put him off the podium.
“I don’t like to say it was luck but yeah, Söderqvist was very solid today. He fell and it’s obviously not something you enjoy even if it worked out for me in the end.
“But I still have that little bitterness of saying that I came third because a guy fell. We don’t know what could have happened, even if I don’t know exactly how much time he lost. It’s not great for him.”
Seixas acknowledged that he likely too fewer risks in the corners. His staying upright versus Söderqvist’s crash suggests that slightly slower was a better tactic.
He also had more to lose if he fell, given that he will be one of the big favorites for next Sunday’s road race.
Aiming higher for road worlds
A podium is great but Paul Seixas wants more in the road race (Photo: Andrej Ivanov / AFP)
That road race was always going to be Seixas’ best chance of a rainbow jersey. He’s not a TT specialist, even if he is rapidly improving. His real strengths are when the road tilts uphill, which will be a huge asset next weekend.
“I guess I hope to do better than today and be on a different part of the podium,” he said, when asked about his goals for that race.
“I think we have the team to make it happen.”
Seixas acknowledged that the TT is a completely different disciple.
“You can’t compare it to an effort in a one-day race because there’s endurance, there’s tactics, and the effort is completely different.
“I think physically I’m strong and I feel good and that’s very good news and today I felt strong again. Now we have to race well, race smart.
“There are some very strong riders against me and I hope it goes well. But anyway, there you go. We have the cards and now we just have to play them.”