{"id":232040,"date":"2026-03-07T19:13:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T19:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/07\/paul-seixas-claims-del-toro-blocking-him-as-pogacar-made-race-winning-strade-bianche-attack\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T19:13:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T19:13:19","slug":"paul-seixas-claims-del-toro-blocking-him-as-pogacar-made-race-winning-strade-bianche-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/07\/paul-seixas-claims-del-toro-blocking-him-as-pogacar-made-race-winning-strade-bianche-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Seixas claims Del Toro \u2018blocking\u2019 him as Poga\u010dar made race-winning Strade Bianche attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"5570ed09-6261-48d6-a144-4b5e08b9ae78\">Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) is coming for Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). He may have fallen short at <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/strade-bianche\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/strade-bianche\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/strade-bianche\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Strade Bianche<\/a> on Saturday, but while the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/strade-bianche-tadej-pogacar-dominates-on-tuscan-gravel-for-record-breaking-fourth-victory\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/strade-bianche-tadej-pogacar-dominates-on-tuscan-gravel-for-record-breaking-fourth-victory\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/strade-bianche-tadej-pogacar-dominates-on-tuscan-gravel-for-record-breaking-fourth-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Champion was able to solo nonchalantly to a record fourth victory<\/a>, the 19-year-old Frenchman in second place suggested he won\u2019t have things all his own way for long.<\/p>\n<p>Seixas is the sport\u2019s latest <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/paul-seixas-has-revealed-his-early-race-programme-for-2026-and-it-points-towards-a-tour-de-france-debut\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/paul-seixas-has-revealed-his-early-race-programme-for-2026-and-it-points-towards-a-tour-de-france-debut\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/paul-seixas-has-revealed-his-early-race-programme-for-2026-and-it-points-towards-a-tour-de-france-debut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">teenaged super-talent<\/a> and, after an eye-catching debut season in 2025, looks to have made the step to the very top of the sport since the turn of this year. A stage win and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/paul-seixas-may-not-be-the-new-tadej-pogacar-but-his-algarve-performance-proved-that-the-hype-is-very-much-real\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/paul-seixas-may-not-be-the-new-tadej-pogacar-but-his-algarve-performance-proved-that-the-hype-is-very-much-real\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/paul-seixas-may-not-be-the-new-tadej-pogacar-but-his-algarve-performance-proved-that-the-hype-is-very-much-real\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">second overall at the Volta ao Algarve<\/a> was followed by a win at the Faun Ard\u00e8che Classic, sending the hype machine into overdrive ahead of Saturday\u2019s meeting with Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"5570ed09-6261-48d6-a144-4b5e08b9ae78-2\">Seixas couldn\u2019t quite give the Slovenian the match many had hoped for, but he stood head and shoulders ahead of most of the world\u2019s top riders as the best of the rest.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t say it beforehand but we had the podium as an objective today,&#8221; Seixas said. &#8220;It was a very ambitious objective \u2013 I\u2019d never done the race, I knew almost nothing about the gravel sectors.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I knew I could play on my talents as a cyclo-cross rider, albeit a retired one \u2013 two years ago I stopped. But I fought all day to go after this result.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/live\/strade-bianche-men-live-tadej-pogacar-seeking-record-breaking-fourth-win-on-long-awaited-return-to-racing\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/live\/strade-bianche-men-live-tadej-pogacar-seeking-record-breaking-fourth-win-on-long-awaited-return-to-racing\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/live\/strade-bianche-men-live-tadej-pogacar-seeking-record-breaking-fourth-win-on-long-awaited-return-to-racing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Seixas was among the nine riders to go clear<\/a> as Poga\u010dar\u2019s UAE team split the race on Monte Sante Marie, and he came agonisingly close to following the World Champion when he made his race-winning move a few kilometres later, and almost 80km from the finish.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Seixas said he was disrupted by Poga\u010dar\u2019s teammate, Isaac del Toro.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-aQUyJyasBsUCEddtpM7CYj\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-aQUyJyasBsUCEddtpM7CYj slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI tried to follow him [Poga\u010dar]. He attacked just ahead of a descent. They played the team card. Del Toro was blocking. He really didn\u2019t want me to get past. I was going by him, he was going by me, and he was breaking in front of me. I lost a bit of time on the descent, them I had to plug the hole that he had made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seixas, remarkably, almost did just that. In fact, he started to claw Poga\u010dar back and for a moment it looked like he was ripping up the script that we\u2019ve grown so used to at Strade Bianche in the past few years.<\/p>\n<p>But just as he was regaining contact at the top of the main climbing section of Monte Sante Marie, Poga\u010dar kicked again and left him in the dust.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pb-0 pt-2 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 !text-base uppercase sm:text-sm font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            What to read next<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI think he was more managing his effort, whereas I was going all out,\u201d Seixas acknowledged. \u201cHe was looking back a few times, and seeing I was coming back, so he re-accelerated. He was more in management mode. I lacked 500 metres. But that\u2019s how it is. He was just stronger, he is the best rider in the world. No regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Seixas went on to do battle with Del Toro, just three years his senior and another of the sport\u2019s great talents. The pair exited Sante Marie together, and with Del Toro not contributing given his teammate out front, Seixas had to settle back into a larger chase group while the victory went off into the distance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Seixas waited for the second ascent of the Colle Pinzuto inside the final 25km to launch a decisive attack from the chase, with only one rider able to follow: Del Toro.<\/p>\n<p>Again, the Mexican didn\u2019t offer a turn, and perhaps the most remarkable part of Seixas\u2019 ride was the way he managed to single-handedly hold off the rest of the chasers, and still drop Del Toro on the final climb of the Via Santa Caterina to claim second place, one minute after Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne minute\u2026 it\u2019s one minute too much, the minute that makes him win. It\u2019s not so much, that\u2019s right, but it\u2019s still a minute,\u201d Seixas said, though he was far from downhearted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t far off following him, and that shows I\u2019m progressing, and my progressions the most important thing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor sure it gives me a lot of confidence. To do this in a race that\u2019s new to me, to come second and beat every other rider at the start apart from Poga\u010dar, that gives me a lot of confidence for what\u2019s to come. It shows that my hard work has paid off and that I can play among the best this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"f09c9b8c-d3df-479e-92e6-8b6b60acb3f5\"><em><strong>Get unlimited access to our unrivalled 2026 Spring Classics coverage with a Cyclingnews subscription. We&#8217;ll bring you breaking news, reports, and analysis from some of the biggest races on the calendar, including Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.<\/strong><\/em><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/sub24\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=SC26\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/sub24\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=SC26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/sub24\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=SC26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong> <\/strong><\/em><\/a><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/sub24\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=SC26\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/sub24\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=SC26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/sub24\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=SC26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>Find out more<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em><strong>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/teams-riders\/paul-seixas-claims-del-toro-was-blocking-him-as-pogacar-made-race-winning-attack-but-no-regrets-after-sensational-strade-bianche-debut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) is coming for Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). He may have fallen short at Strade Bianche on Saturday, but while the World Champion was able to solo nonchalantly to a record fourth victory, the 19-year-old Frenchman in second place suggested he won\u2019t have things all his own way for long. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":232041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-232040","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}