Paul Seixas Makes History With Tour of the Basque Country Win

Nineteen-year-old Paul Seixas secured his first WorldTour victory on April 6, 2026, by winning the opening time trial of the Itzulia Basque Country. The French rider, competing in only his second professional season with Decathlon CMA CGM, dominated a field of established Grand Tour contenders to claim the leader’s jersey.

Seixas finished the 13.8-kilometer course in Bilbao with a 23-second advantage over Kévin Vauquelin of Ineos Grenadiers. Felix Großschartner, representing UAE Team Emirates-XRG, took third place, finishing 27 seconds behind the leader.

Course Analysis and Performance

The opening stage was designed to challenge multiple cycling disciplines, featuring a technical layout that required a combination of climbing ability, bike-handling skills and sustained power. The route began with the steep climb of Alto Santo Domingo, which immediately separated the pure time trial specialists from the climbers.

Seixas recorded the fastest split of the day on the Alto Santo Domingo climb. Following the ascent, the course transitioned into a technical descent and a rolling middle section. The race concluded with a brutally steep uphill sprint in the final kilometer, a characteristic feature of racing in the Basque Country.

Seixas maintained his momentum through the final stages of the course, posting the fastest time on the closing uphill sprint to seal the victory.

Impact on General Classification

The result placed several pre-race favorites at a significant disadvantage early in the competition. Primož Roglič, a three-time Vuelta a España champion riding for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, finished in fourth place, 28 seconds behind Seixas.

Other key contenders faced larger deficits. Isaac del Toro of UAE Team Emirates-XRG finished 51 seconds back. Juan Ayuso of Lidl-Trek and Ion Izagirre of Cofidis also trailed the leader, with Izagirre finishing 1:01 behind Seixas.

By winning the stage, Seixas claimed all the classification jerseys available on the awards podium, including his first leader’s jersey in a top-level stage race.

A Historic Achievement

The victory marks a significant milestone for the young Frenchman, who has now become the third-youngest rider in history to win a WorldTour race. His Decathlon CMA CGM team described the performance as flawless.

Seixas attributed the win to rigorous preparation and strategic pacing. He noted that the time trial was a discipline he had been focusing on since his time as a junior rider.

I’m thrilled. This is the result I was hoping for, of course, but I didn’t expect to win by such a margin. It’s a wonderful surprise. This is my first WorldTour win in a discipline I love, one that my team, my coach, and I have been working hard on since my junior days.

Paul Seixas

Seixas also highlighted the role of his team’s planning in the result:

It was perfectly planned, I think I did the right pacing, the team were really good, we were well-prepared and today all this work paid off

Paul Seixas

Outlook for the Remaining Race

Despite the commanding start, Seixas remained cautious about his prospects for the overall victory. He acknowledged the difficulty of the Itzulia Basque Country and the challenges posed by the remaining five days of competition.

The rider emphasized that the event is demanding and that the race is far from over as the peloton moves into the subsequent stages.