{"id":525246,"date":"2026-03-07T19:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T19:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/525246\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T19:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T19:22:12","slug":"i-was-missing-500-metres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/525246\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI was missing 500 metres\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nPogacar\u2019s winning move came on the Monte Sante Marie sector, where the Slovenian accelerated from the saddle in a surge that split the race apart. Seixas was the only rider initially able to respond, attempting to hold the wheel of the world champion as the race exploded across the gravel roads. \u201cI said to myself that I would try to follow him,\u201d Seixas explained afterwards in conversation with Cycling Pro Net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The young Frenchman admitted the moment came with risks attached. With more than 80 kilometres still remaining, committing fully to the move could easily have backfired if the pace proved unsustainable. \u201cI had a lot to lose at that moment. If I exploded there with 80 kilometres to go, it could have been very difficult afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tactical dynamics also played a role in the decisive moment. Pogacar\u2019s teammate Isaac del Toro<\/a> sat between the two riders and repeatedly prevented Seixas from moving forward during the early phase of the attack. \u201cI overtook him, and he overtook me again. He slowed down in front of me and blocked me,\u201d Seixas said of the battle in the descent.<\/p>\n

By the time the road rose again, the gap to Pogacar had already begun to open. \u201cI was missing about 500 metres,\u201d Seixas admitted.<\/p>\n

Confidence boost after breakthrough rideDespite ultimately conceding the win, Seixas\u2019 ride through the Tuscan gravel delivered the clearest evidence yet that the Decathlon CMA CGM Team<\/a> prospect can already compete with the sport\u2019s biggest names.The French rider had quietly targeted the podium before the race, even though it was his first time racing Strade Bianche<\/a>. \u201cWe came here with the goal of the podium. It was very ambitious because I had never raced here before and I barely knew the sectors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seixas relied on technical instincts developed earlier in his career to navigate the demanding terrain. \u201cI had to rely a bit on my cyclocross skills. I stopped two years ago, but I was still able to handle the bike well.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the finish in Siena, those skills had helped him defeat every rider in the race except the reigning world champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo beat everyone except Tadej Pogacar gives me confidence,\u201d Seixas said. \u201cIt shows that the work I did this winter has paid off and that I can compete with the best riders in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Paul<\/p>\n

Paul Seixas ahead of Strade Bianche 2026<\/p>\n

A team performance behind the result<\/p>\n

Seixas was also quick to credit the work of his Decathlon CMA CGM Team teammates for placing him in the right position throughout the race. \u201cEveryone had a specific role, and they all exceeded expectations,\u201d he said. \u201cThey positioned me perfectly and helped me all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

That support allowed Seixas to remain in contention as the race fractured behind Pogacar\u2019s solo attack and ultimately secure second place in Siena.<\/p>\n

While Pogacar\u2019s victory once again underlined his dominance in one of cycling\u2019s most demanding one-day races, Strade Bianche 2026 may also be remembered as the day a 19-year-old rider proved he belongs among the sport\u2019s elite.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pogacar\u2019s winning move came on the Monte Sante Marie sector, where the Slovenian accelerated from the saddle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":525247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,176987,93896,176605,85,177851,6494],"class_list":["post-525246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-decathlon-cma-cgm-team","tag-isaac-del-toro","tag-paul-seixas","tag-sports","tag-strade-bianche","tag-tadej-pogacar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=525246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/525247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}