Paul Seixas achieves his first monumental triumph in Lombardy with Enric Mas second

It was the last big day of the cycling season and the big names were seen. Paul Seixas has achieved what is, for the moment, the greatest victory of his recently begun sports career after proclaiming winner of the Giro de Lombardiaquite possibly the first of many attacks on the ‘monuments’ that he will make in this one. It has been in a day with Enric Mas in a brilliant second place.

At his recently turned twenty years old, Seixas, who has become the youngest winner in history at the Giro de Lombardia, has rounded off a brilliant season in which he already achieved notable victories in Itzulia or in Flecha Wallona with what is his greatest triumph to date of all of them. On an open stage among the ‘roosters’ before the absence of a Tadej Pogacar who was the absolute dominator of the event, Seixas has conquered the first major classic of his career.

Has covered the 239 kilometers between Bergamo and Como with a time of 5:49:28without giving any option to his rivals. Among them, Enric Mas has signed that brilliant second position, forty-eight seconds behind, after releasing Giulio Cicconethird at 1:05, in the final part. Remco Evenepoel He has remained, as in the World Cup, without change at the moment of truth and has led the pack of the rest of the favorites, at 1:20 and with the rainbow Brandon McNulty fifth. Isaac del Toro, without bellows, was twenty-eighth.

I was expecting a very hard day with nine ascensions past. It was eighteen minutes from the finish line, in the penultimate ascent to Civiglio, when Seixas has gained one more point to release the rest of the favorites and to go alone. With advantages of between half a minute and a minute over Ciccone and Mas, who have insisted on his pursuit, the Frenchman has finished off his first great flash in a monument without problems.

I expected a very hard day for the runners and it was to be hoped that a breakaway would soon be allowed from behind. It included Maxim Décomble, Johannes Kulset, Michael Leonard, Andrea Mifsud, Ben O’Connor, Fausto Masnada, George Bennett, Antonio Tiberi, Julien Bernard, Louis Vervaeike, Sylvain Moniquet, Gijs Leempreize, Victor Campenaers and Pau Martí. Behind, UAE, with the double trick of McNulty and Isaac del Toroset the pace and controlled the distances in the first half of the race, which went smoothly.

It was in the last ninety kilometers when the race began to vary. Ahead, O’Connor moved in an attempt to select the forward group. Behind, UAE continued to maintain control on the way to the sixth ascent of the daythe tough Madonna del Ghisallo, with 8.6 kilometers at 5.4% and the climb that launched the final chain of the day.

In it, in fact, Matteo Jorgenson launched his attack while Brandon McNulty, Scaroni and Simmons followed him to put pressure on Evenepoel’s Red Bull Bora-hansgrohe. With distances of one minute between the platoon and the escapees, they filtered to about forty-five seconds to force Remco to spend men.

It was in San Fermo della Battaglia (2.8 kilometers at 6.9%) when the last thirty kilometers were launched and when Red Bull Bora began to use up ships. Escaped men were being hunted and Jorgenson and Primoz Roglic were caught. Visma and UAE joined forces so that the favorites’ peloton would be at the head of the race about twenty kilometers from the finish line.

The definitive attack of Paul Seixas

But then, without much time to analyze the situation, came the blow of Paul Seixas, on the climb to Civiglio (4.2 km at 9.5%). The Frenchman jumped from the group of favorites nineteen from the finish line. Behind him, no one could keep up with him and only Giulio Ciccone He tried to move after him to try to release the favorites.

No gas for Evenepoel, Enric Mas jumped in search of the Italian. However, the difference ahead was already with Seixas, impassive on the second and final ascent to Sen Fermo della Battaglia, managing a lead of thirty-four seconds over Mas and Ciccone at the beginning of that final climb.

Behind them the group of favorites was reduced. Del Toro didn’t have the day and Ben Healy was trying to attack to hunt down Mas and Ciccone. It was Enric who ended up moving to leave the Italian behind and leaving second alone at the finish line, with the transalpine resisting in third place and with Healy being hunted so that, in a group finish, Evenepoel took the sprint for fourth.

Past, Enric Mas certified the best season of his sporting career with a brilliant second place. The champion of the Vuelta once again stands on the podium of a monument that has once again fought for another year.

Impassive, Paul Seixas was already celebrating with all the law at that time. The Frenchman culminated his solo victory against a good part of the roosters of the cycling world, with a rising attack and absolute control in the final kilometers. It has been the season of its big explosion, with enormous results on a planet dominated by an alien. But as soon as he had the chance, The Frenchman has redeemed himself in a big way in the World Cup: he is champion of the Giro de Lombardia and already has his first monumental triumph.