Paul Seixas is the first French Tour de l'Avenir winner since Gaudu
Decathlon-AG2R's young Frenchman Paul Seixas has joined an elite club of cyclists to have won the Tour de l'Avenir, or Tour of the Future, often considered the foremost gauge of senior potential on the under-23 calendar. Other winners include Tadej Pogačar, Egan Bernal, David Gaudu, Nairo Quintana, Laurent Fignon, Miguel Induráin and Greg Lemond.
Seixas was one of the handful of riders on the startlist who have already made the step up to WorldTour, indeed the 20-year-old has already finished in the top 10 at the Dauphiné. He came into the Tour de l'Avenir, then, as one of the top favourites, despite illness keeping him from his planned altitude camp earlier in August.
Wins in the uphill time trials that book-ended the race laid the foundation for his victory, along with consistent performances in the mountains, where his main rival Jarno Widar – Belgium's prolific 19-year-old GC hopeful – stamped his claim for the title, going back to back on stages 5 and 6a, and ultimately securing second overall. In third place was 20-year-old Norwegian Jørgen Nordhagen, one of Seixas's WorldTour contemporaries over on the Visma-Lease a Bike squad.
Final GC Top 5
- Paul Seixas (France) 18:51:01
- Jarno Widar (Belgium) +0:40
- Jørgen Nordhagen (Norway) +0:44
- Lorenzo Finn (Italy) +0:47
- Maxime Decomble (France) +1:20
