post-race interview<\/a>. \u201cI wanted to manage my effort, so I climbed at my own pace.\u201d<\/p>\nThe Frenchman felt he may have been able to push harder at certain moments but was pleased with how strongly he finished the climb. \u201cMaybe I could have pushed a bit more at some points. I hesitated too much, but in the end I still finished strongly. It was still a good climb and I\u2019m still in the fight for the general classification, so that\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also admitted an early puncture may have cost him valuable energy. \u201cOverall, I\u2019m happy. I think I put in a good performance, although it wasn\u2019t ideal with the puncture at the start. I probably used a few bullets there. At this level, it\u2019s maybe not about following the very best, but about saving a few precious seconds. It\u2019s a shame, but that\u2019s how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite losing the white jersey, Seixas took confidence from how well he has handled his first Grand Tour so far. \u201cI\u2019ll remember that I\u2019ve managed to stay strong until now and that I\u2019ve recovered well. I hope it will be the same during the third week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, it was a special day and I suffered a lot. I did what I could. I was hoping for a better result, but that\u2019s life. Sometimes there are riders who are stronger, and today they were stronger, so congratulations to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Proud father watches from home roads<\/p>\n
Among the proudest spectators on Plateau de Solaison was Seixas’ father, Emmanuel, who followed the stage from the family’s home region near Magland.<\/p>\n
Before celebrating his son’s ride, however, Emmanuel admitted that the peloton’s mood changed dramatically after Jonas Vingegaard’s crash. \u201cWe experienced it very intensely. We shared the suffering when we saw Vingegaard crash. It made us very sad because you can\u2019t forget something like that, and we hope he\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family has a special connection to the final climb, with Paul having trained there several times before the Tour. \u201cWe don\u2019t live far away. We\u2019re from Salanches, more precisely Magland. Paul has climbed it several times, and we have family nearby, so it was magnificent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emmanuel was particularly impressed by how maturely his son approached such a demanding stage. \u201cHe rode a really great race. He fought with the weapons he has, and they had a very good stage. It was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re amazed that he\u2019s reached the second week and is finishing it like this. We admire what the team is doing and what Paul is doing, and we\u2019ll see what comes next.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also praised the composure Seixas has shown throughout the race despite the enormous expectations now surrounding him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s also impressive is how well he manages every aspect of the race, including the pressure. He never seems to go beyond his limits; he manages everything very well. I think he has a plan and he sticks to it. If people don\u2019t put too much pressure on him, maybe he can go all the way. You never know. Paul has always made us dream.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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