This youngster is making cycling history

Young star Paul Seixas has made history by becoming the youngest winner of the Tour of Lombardy.

10 October 2026

From: dpa

The 20-year-old Frenchman secured a solo victory in the 120th edition of the autumn classic after 239 kilometers. At the age of 20 years and 16 days, Seixas surpassed the Italian Giovanni Gerbi, who was 20 years and 161 days old when he won in 1905. In fact, only three riders have been younger when they won one of cycling's five monumental races.

Vuelta winner Enric Mas of Spain and Italian Giulio Ciccone finished second and third respectively in Como. Top favorite Remco Evenepoel, however, was dropped on the penultimate climb and ultimately finished fourth.

Pogacar's winning streak ends

Seixas, who finished fourth in his debut Tour de France, ended the winning streak of superstar Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian, who had won the race five times in a row, ended his season prematurely after breaking his collarbone at the Vuelta a España. For Seixas, it was his eighth victory of the season. He had previously won the semi-classic Flèche Wallonne and the Tour of the Basque Country. He also finished third in the time trial at the World Championships.

Giulio Ciccone finished third. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

The race was decided 18 kilometers from the finish, when Seixas shook off all the competition on the steep Civiglio and could not be caught afterwards.

Driver protest before the start

Before the peloton set off in Bergamo, the riders staged a five-minute protest regarding recent safety incidents. Evenepoel spoke on behalf of the field. "This week alone, there have been several incidents involving vehicles entering the track. Two riders crashed after a collision with a motorcycle traveling against the flow of traffic," wrote Adam Hansen, representing the riders' association, the CPA. "Tragically, this summer a person lost their life due to precisely this kind of negligence (Finlay Tarling, ed.). We will no longer tolerate this."

Remco Evenpoel calls for greater safety for drivers. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

Tarling's father, Michael, expressed his gratitude for the initiative. "Changes are needed, and no other family should ever receive the phone call we got on August 14th. We sincerely hope that the UCI (world governing body) listens and implements changes."

Keywords cycling racing bike Paul Seixas