Seixas🇫🇷 again showed a very good TT, 4^th^ at only 13 seconds behind the winner Ganna (🇮🇹 Ineos), better than Vauquelin, Küng and especially Almeida🇵🇹 who came only 30 seconds later. Onley🇬🇧 and Ricitello🇺🇸 are pushed back 1 mn away.

Unfortunately for him, the second best today is Ayuso🇪🇸, therefore the Spaniard consolidates his first place in GC (for only 7 seconds though, I think, so the final GC is still open between those two riders).

[–] CarstenBoll@feddit.dk 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Very impressed with him this week, he's the real deal. He's only 19 too, so if he doesn't do well in a GT in the next 3 years that's probably fine and nothing to worry about. Lovely to see such a great French talent!

[–] Deschanel2017@lemmings.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It depends what 'doing well' means, but I reckon he can already do well on a Tour of Spain this year. If they put him on the Tour de France, it will be much more uncertain of course.

Last year he already did very well on the 8-day long Dauphiné (had he not fallen on the last climb of the last day, he would have finished 6^th^!). Then he was the best Frenchman on the 270 km WC race in Rwanda despite not being the chosen leader, and got the bronze medal behind Pogatchar and Evenepoel on the 200 km EC race on the following week. Oh, and looking at the stats, I had forgotten that less than a week later, he was in the tiny group for 5^th^ place in the Tour of Lombardia, with Del Toro, Vine and Pidcock.

I mean: long, hard stages/races (battling with big names on top of that) do not seem to be a problem for him; and neither does a large week of continuous stage racing (it doesn't get much longer than that on a GT before the first rest day). Very unlike Lenny Martinez who has shown his limits many times as soon as racing days start pile up, if you will.

Despite his good 2025 year, it's the first time he crosses a line first on a pro race (and that's a .Pro race which is fashionable for good climbers to start a season, not a .1 or a race which is a bit scorned these days).

His own video debrief of Stage 2 final climb, subtitled in English, and with excerpts from the race:

https://twitter.com/decathloncmacgm/status/2024584478895612384

It is quite different from mine, because I saw it in the middle of the night and I most certainly fell asleep in the last miles 😜 So trust him, the video, and not my account!

[–] CarstenBoll@feddit.dk 2 points 2 weeks ago

I am pretty sure they're sending him to the Tour de France. The logic seems to be that in the giro or the vuelta people will expect him to make a result, in the tour not so much so in a sense it's easier for him to do the tour and get it over with and ride with less pressure. Not sure I follow it completely, but it's the plan anyway, so...