Paul Seixas Eyes Historic Victory at Tour du Pays Basque
- French cyclist Paul Seixas has established himself as a dominant force in the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country, securing three stage victories and maintaining a significant lead in the...
- Seixas continued his momentum through a series of demanding stages, including a second victory that saw him launch a decisive attack on the San Miguel de Aralar climb.
- On stage five, based in Eibar, Seixas secured his third stage win of the race in a hard-fought sprint finish.
French cyclist Paul Seixas has established himself as a dominant force in the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country, securing three stage victories and maintaining a significant lead in the general classification. The 19-year-old rider for Decathlon CMA CGM entered the World Tour elite by winning the inaugural time trial on April 6, 2026.
Seixas continued his momentum through a series of demanding stages, including a second victory that saw him launch a decisive attack on the San Miguel de Aralar climb. During that stage, Seixas attacked with 6.6 kilometers remaining on the 9.9-kilometer ascent, which features an average gradient of 7.7%. Only Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek attempted to follow the move, but he eventually relented, leaving Seixas to ride virtually uncontested for the remaining 26 kilometers to the finish.
Stage Five Performance and GC Standings
On stage five, based in Eibar, Seixas secured his third stage win of the race in a hard-fought sprint finish. The stage was characterized by extreme elevation, featuring three category-one climbs and five category-three climbs, totaling more than 4,000 meters of climbing.
Seixas faced a direct challenge from general classification rival Florian Lipowitz of Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe. Despite the pressure, the French rider held on to win the sprint. Following the stage, Lipowitz moved into second place in the general classification, trailing Seixas by 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Primoz Roglič finished 1 minute and 11 seconds behind the leaders on stage five. This result caused Roglič to slip to third place in the overall standings, 3 minutes and 40 seconds behind Seixas.
Paul Seixas
Florian Lipowitz took a turn at the front once he realized Primož Roglič wasn’t going to make it back, which allowed me to manage my effort just a little bit ahead of the sprint.
Seixas described the final moments of the stage as a head-to-head battle, noting that while Lipowitz was strong and launched a solid attack in the final stretch, he was able to hang on for the victory.
Team Support and Strategy
The Decathlon CMA CGM Team played a critical role in protecting Seixas’s lead. During the race, the team worked to control breakaways, including a seven-rider group that featured Ethan Hayter, Adrian Fajardo Toledo, Raúl García, Frank van den Broek, Joan Bou, Iker Mintegi and Bruno Armirail.
The team identified Bruno Armirail as the most dangerous rider in the breakaway for the general classification, as he was positioned 50 seconds behind the lead at the time. The team’s efforts ensured the gap was narrowed before the critical climb of San Miguel de Aralar.
Paul Seixas
Having the yellow jersey in the team is fantastic! It creates an enormous amount of motivation and we are all incredibly happy. My teammates are giving 200% so that the team can keep this leader’s jersey
Seixas attributed the team’s success to the bond between the riders, describing the group as friends.
Outlook for the Final Stage
The race concludes with a final mountains stage. Seixas has expressed that while he felt he was not as strong toward the end of the week as he was at the beginning, his overall performance has turned the prospect of winning the Tour du Pays Basque from a dream into a realistic possibility.