“Anything other than the rainbow jersey will be a disappointment”: Paul Seixas sets the bar as high as possible ahead of the World Championships

Paul Seixas will arrive this Sunday at the road race of the World Championship in Montreal as the undisputed leader of France and with an ambition he does not try to hide. After finishing second in the GP of Montreal and winning bronze in the world time trial, the Frenchman claims to be ready to fight directly for the rainbow jersey.

Paul Seixas aims directly for the rainbow in Montreal

It is rare for such a young rider to assume the role of leader in a World Championship so naturally. But Paul Seixas, who turns 20 today, seems to be clear about what his role will be this Sunday. His teammates have publicly stated that France will ride around him, and the cyclist himself has not wanted to lower expectations.

"The goal is to win on Sunday. With the form I have and the team's eagerness, any result other than the title would necessarily be a disappointment," explained Seixas during the media day held this Wednesday in Bromont, as reported by L'Équipe.

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This statement is particularly bold considering the level of rivals he will face in Montreal, but it is backed by his recent results. Seixas finished second in the recent GP of Montreal and this Sunday demonstrated his form again by winning the bronze medal in the World time trial, behind Remco Evenepoel.

That result, however, already belongs to the past for him. Seixas claims that practically since the night of Sunday he shifted his focus to the road race.

"The time trial was over, and I started thinking about the road race. It shows that I am in shape and that I have managed to maintain it over the last few weeks. It gives me some confidence, but it doesn't change much," he explained.

France will race to toughen the World Championship

Seixas is also quite clear about what type of race interests him. Although a large part of the route shares roads with the GP of Montreal, the format will be different. The World Championship includes a long approach before entering the final circuit, where 12 laps will be completed instead of the 16 of the Grand Prix.

For the Frenchman, that configuration opens up a wide range of possible scenarios.

"It's a fairly open course. Depending on how the race develops, it can lean more towards a profile for explosive climbers or for explosive sprinters," he explained.

His preference, in any case, leaves little room for doubt. The tougher the race, the better for Seixas.

"To suit me better, the race clearly needs to be toughened. We'll see how we do it. We haven't had the meeting yet. Thomas Voeckler always has ideas in mind, and I'm waiting to see what he tells us," he said.

The French team seems willing to play that card. The other team members have recognized Seixas as the sole leader and will be at his service during the race.

"It's flattering. I know that physically I have the ability to keep up with the best, and the team is also aware of that. That's why we are going to play more around my profile," he assured.

Seixas does not rule out going for the World Championship in a sprint

Toughening the race does not necessarily mean that Seixas needs to arrive alone at the finish. The Frenchman recently lost the GP of Montreal to Isaac del Toro in a finish between the two, but he trusts his ability to handle a reduced finish after a race of great fatigue.

"I'm not slow in a sprint. I work on it about once a week because it allows me to maintain an explosiveness that can be important at the end of a race," he explained.

And the context of the World Championship will be very different from that of a conventional sprint. After around 270 kilometers, pure speed loses some of its importance, and factors such as accumulated fatigue, the toughness of the finish, and the wind come into play.

For Seixas, therefore, he is not particularly worried about arriving with others. Although he acknowledges that doing so alone would always simplify things, he considers that a small group could also offer him options.

"Anything can happen; we have to be aware of that. But our ambition is to achieve this title. It's crazy when I think about it, and that motivates me even more. It's everything I could dream of."