Paul Seixas: “I have to take one step at a time”
April 26 th 2026 - 17:24
Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) finished 2nd in the 2026 Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
“I always race to win, but we know that [Tadej] Pogacar has been utterly dominant these last few years, so just being able to follow him is already something. You have to take things one step at a time, without rushing. At Strade Bianche, I couldn’t follow his first attack; today I managed to do it, so I’m quite happy with my performance. There’s also the team’s work to consider, because at Strade Bianche I found myself isolated and couldn’t get on his wheel when he attacked. Here, I was perfectly positioned on his wheel all day. I think that’s what allowed me to hang on at La Redoute, because I had to give it all there. The extra edge of being well-placed on his wheel throughout the race is definitely something.”
“I was completely exhausted at La Redoute. The speed we were climbing at, I was blown away! It was an insane pace. It didn't take much more for me to crack; I was at my limit. I hung on as best as I could, and afterwards it felt good to catch my breath and take turns at the front with him. We built up the necessary lead to go all the way to the finish, and then it came down to the final climb up the Roche aux Faucons. It was a battle of brute force there. Experience always helps, but it didn't really matter here because the race wasn't particularly complicated: I just had to stay in his slipstream, be there at the right moment, and find myself alone with him. There's not much I could have done better. I simply lacked the power to stay with him a bit longer.”
“Just keeping up with Pogacar is extremely difficult. He's one of the greatest riders of all time, so being able to hang on to him, to fight with him all the way to Roche-aux-Faucons… He was so close to the finish. There's still work to be done, and that's normal; we mustn't rush things, but be satisfied with what we got today.”
“I was in uncharted territory racing such a long race as a Monument is. I did well in Il Lombardia last year, but there were some question marks anyway. I think I've made a step forward in terms of endurance. How hard the race was almost works to my advantage because I can repeat efforts and recover quite well from them, as we saw at the Tour of the Basque Country. It's very satisfying for the future. Since I finished second, my next ambition will be to win a Monument. There are no certainties in life regarding the future: until you've done it, you haven't done it. I'm just going to work towards it.”
