I Slid like a Toboggan on My Front: Paul Seixas Battered but Saves Race Due to One Kit Choice
Updated June 13, 2026 02:21PM
Paul Seixas 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-Rhóne-Alpes.
The Frenchman was at one point almost four minutes behind the peloton following his high-speed crash about 30km into Saturday’s 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.
And while he is just 19 years of age, he showed considerable maturity in taking full responsibility for what happened.
“I made a stupid mistake on my part,” he told Cycling Pro Net and other journalists. “It’s 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.
“I misjudged a turn, I tried to take the outside. I thought the guy [ahead] wasn’t 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.
“I 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’t good.”
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.
‘I told myself the race was over’
Paul Seixas had to chase for half of stage 7 before rejoining the peloton (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
There’s 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.
Tadej Pogačar is one devotee of the mittless approach. Remco Evenepoel is another. But Seixas tends in the other direction, something he said proved vital Saturday.
“I’m really banged up, and what saved me today might have been the gloves because the gloves are wrecked,” he explained. “I 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.
“After that, I couldn’t put my hands on the handlebars. I really struggled because it immediately strained my back. When you can’t put force on the handlebars, it’s actually really complicated.”
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.
“I was delayed 4 minutes. It was almost dead at that point,” he said, referring to his GC prospects. “I told myself, well, the race is over, I can go home and get back to work.”
However things gradually improved thanks to all the heft his fellow Decathlon CMA CGM 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.
“I want to thank all the guys for their work, like I said in a live interview earlier. I’m not going to give the whole speech because it would be too long. But yeah, today it’s these guys, I love them. They could have left me stranded in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn’t hold it against them because I messed up.”
Making a vow
Paul Seixas’ bravery and determination earned him the most combative prize on stage 7 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Seixas is regarded as one of the top young talents in the sport. He’s still only 19 years of age but has dramatically improved this year, notching up seven wins including La Flèche Wallonne plus a trio of stages and the overall in Itzulia Basque Country.
He was also the only rider able to go with Tadej Pogačar when the latter put in a formidable attack in Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
And while stars such as Bernard Hinault have expressed reservations, he’s due to make his Grand Tour debut in the Tour de France in July.
For now, though, his focus will be completely on the final day of the Tour Auvergne-Rhóne-Alpes. The former Critérium du Dauphiné has been won by some of the biggest stars in the sport and Seixas would dearly love to add his name to the list.
His crash and his long chase cost him important energy on Saturday and he is now 1:54 behind the ongoing leader Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and 1:12 behind second-placed Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike). Stage 7 winner Isaac Del Toro is 1:05 in front of him.
Winning is clearly a tall order with one stage to go but he will battle on. He knows that his result on Saturday isn’t reflective of his physical condition but really wants to have a better day on Sunday.
“I think I’m going to take the start again tomorrow,” he said when asked if he will continue. “We’ll see tonight but in any case, I’m going to fight to the end for the team.”
He wants, he said, to bounce back.
“I’m not proud of myself, I’m proud of the team. And that’s it,” he said. “They did an incredible job. I lost 1:15 today [actually 1:21], so obviously I’m not proud of myself. But the team can be proud of themselves because honestly what they did was just amazing.”
Expect him to try to pay them back on what promises to be a dramatic final day of racing.
