"It was a stupidity and it is completely my fault": Seixas takes responsibility for his fall

At just 19 years old, Paul Seixas once again demonstrated in the seventh stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes why he is considered one of the greatest promises in world cycling. The Frenchman from Decathlon CMA CGM suffered a heavy fall more than 100 kilometers from the finish, losing nearly four minutes to the favorites' group, yet he managed to return to the race and finish seventh at the top of the Grand Colombier. However, far from seeking excuses, Seixas took full responsibility for the accident.

Paul Seixas blames himself after his hard fall at the Grand Colombier: “I am not proud of myself”

The queen stage on Saturday was marked by the winning attack of Isaac del Toro, but also by Seixas's accident on the descent of the Côte de Saint-Maurice-de-Rotherens. The leader of Decathlon CMA CGM went down when trying to gain positions on a fast curve.

After the stage, in statements collected in the mixed zone by CyclingUpToDate, the Frenchman was blunt in analyzing what happened.

“I simply made a stupid mistake, it’s completely my fault, and I apologize to the riders around me and to those I could have taken down as well.”

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The young rider explained that he arrived too fast at a curve, at about 70 km/h, while trying to overtake on the outside.

“I took a curve badly. I tried to pass on the outside because I thought the riders weren’t going down fast enough, but I actually entered too hard. I managed to save the situation at first, but I ended up in a gravel area. The wheel almost went into the ditch and finally slipped.”

Four minutes lost and a 60-kilometer chase

The fall left Seixas badly shaken and practically out of the race. For several kilometers, he even thought about abandoning.

“When I stopped in the ditch, I thought I wouldn’t be able to continue. I was completely wrecked and feared I had hurt myself badly. With a fall at that speed, it’s always hard to get back on the bike.”

At that moment, a spectacular chase began, led by his teammates from Decathlon CMA CGM. Daan Hoole, Stefan Bissegger, and the rest of the team dropped back to help their leader return to the favorites' group.

“They could have left me behind, and they didn’t. I wouldn’t have blamed them because the mistake was mine.”

The Frenchman admitted that when he saw the gap around four minutes, he thought his Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes was over.

“I thought: ‘The race is over, I can go home and focus on preparing for the Tour de France.’”

However, after approximately 60 kilometers of chasing, he managed to reconnect with the favorites' group with about 36 kilometers to go.

The Grand Colombier took its toll

The enormous effort made to return to the race ultimately took its toll on the final ascent to the Grand Colombier. Seixas lost contact with Isaac del Toro, Juan Ayuso, and Matteo Jorgenson on the early slopes of the climb, although he managed to limit the damage and ceded 1:21 at the finish compared to the winner.

In addition to the physical wear, he had to face the pain caused by his injuries.

“I have some abrasions, but nothing serious. The most complicated part was my hands. I found it very difficult to grip the handlebars, and I couldn’t brake as late as the others on the descents.”

Despite this, he assured that he continued fighting out of respect for the work done by his teammates.

“When you see these riders sacrificing themselves for you, dedicating their whole race to help you even knowing you might explode on the final climb, that gives you extra motivation. I kept fighting until I had nothing left in my legs because that’s the least they deserved.”

Although many highlighted his capacity for suffering and his comeback, Seixas was particularly hard on himself when evaluating the day.

“I am very demanding of myself, and I am not proud of myself,” he declared in the mixed zone, according to CyclingUpToDate.

“I am proud of the team; they did an enormous job. But today I lost more than a minute, so obviously, I can’t be proud of myself.”

After the seventh stage, won by Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) ahead of Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Seixas occupies the sixth position in the general classification, 1:54 behind leader Luke Tuckwell, and will face the final day with the goal of defending his place among the best.

Before leaving the mixed zone, he also wanted to send a reassuring message about his physical condition.

“I think I will be at the start tomorrow. We’ll see how I evolve tonight, but I’m going to fight until the end for the team.”