Updated June 13, 2026 02:21PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Paul Seixas<\/a> put in a spirited fightback following a major crash on Saturday, crossing the line cut and bloodied, and made clear that one small clothing choice was the key to him remaining in the Tour Auvergne-Rh\u00f3ne-Alpes<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Frenchman was at one point almost four minutes behind the peloton following his high-speed crash about 30km into Saturday\u2019s 133.6km race to the summit of le Grand Colombier. He fought back but the energy expended in a near 70km chase saw him weaken on that final climb and lose time.<\/p>\n And while he is just 19 years of age, he showed considerable maturity in taking full responsibility for what happened.<\/p>\n \u201cI made a stupid mistake on my part,\u201d he told Cycling Pro Net<\/a> and other journalists. \u201cIt\u2019s entirely my fault and I apologize to the guys who were around me and to anyone I bothered or who I could have also caused to crash.<\/p>\n \u201cI misjudged a turn, I tried to take the outside. I thought the guy [ahead] wasn\u2019t going fast enough, and actually I went into the turn way too fast. I managed to correct the situation but ended up where there was a ditch with gravel. My wheel was almost in the ditch and eventually it slipped. I think we were going at 70 km\/h.<\/p>\n \u201cI went flying. I slid like on a toboggan on my front and I scraped along the road for 20 to 30 meters, I think. I slid but on dry asphalt, that isn\u2019t good.\u201d<\/p>\n Seixas crossed the line with blood on his arm and also on his jersey near his stomach. Both were a visual reminder of his crash but there was other damage that was not visible, and which could have put him out of the race.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an increasing trend in pro cycling to minimize every extra gram and this, presumably, is the reason behind the decision of many riders to race with bare hands.<\/p>\n Tadej Poga\u010dar is one devotee of the mittless approach. Remco Evenepoel is another. But Seixas tends in the other direction, something he said proved vital Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really banged up, and what saved me today might have been the gloves because the gloves are wrecked,\u201d he explained. \u201cI always wear gloves because today proves that if you fall on your hands at 70 kilometers an hour, your hands take a beating. My hands are still pretty messed up.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter that, I couldn\u2019t put my hands on the handlebars. I really struggled because it immediately strained my back. When you can\u2019t put force on the handlebars, it\u2019s actually really complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n The crash and the delay in getting going again also made things difficult. Seixas found himself a long, long way back and with UAE and other teams driving at the front, he was under pressure almost two hours.<\/p>\n \u201cI was delayed 4 minutes. It was almost dead at that point,\u201d he said, referring to his GC prospects. \u201cI told myself, well, the race is over, I can go home and get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n However things gradually improved thanks to all the heft his fellow Decathlon CMA CGM<\/a> riders put in. Without that, and without the gloves which lessened the damage to his hands, his overall chances would be well and truly over.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to thank all the guys for their work, like I said in a live interview earlier. I\u2019m not going to give the whole speech because it would be too long. But yeah, today it\u2019s these guys, I love them. They could have left me stranded in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn\u2019t hold it against them because I messed up.\u201d<\/p>\n Seixas is regarded as one of the top young talents in the sport. He\u2019s still only 19 years of age but has dramatically improved this year, notching up seven wins including La Fl\u00e8che Wallonne plus a trio of stages and the overall in Itzulia Basque Country.<\/p>\n He was also the only rider able to go with Tadej Poga\u010dar when the latter put in a formidable attack in Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge.<\/p>\n And while stars such as Bernard Hinault have expressed reservations, he\u2019s due to make his Grand Tour debut in the Tour de France in July.<\/p>\n\u2018I told myself the race was over\u2019<\/h2>\n
Making a vow<\/h2>\n
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