French Teen Seixas Wins Il Lombardia, Becomes Youngest Monument Champion

French rider Paul Seixas won the 2026 Il Lombardia on Saturday, becoming the youngest winner in the race's history at 20 years and 16 days old. He attacked early on the Civiglio climb, dropping rivals including Remco Evenepoel and Giulio Ciccone, before soloing the final 18 kilometres to the finish in Como.

Seixas crossed the line 48 seconds ahead of Spain's Enric Mas, securing his eighth victory of a breakthrough second professional season. The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider said he attacked earlier than planned but managed his effort perfectly on the descent and flat run-in to the lake.

“Honestly, I don't care if I'm the youngest or not. What matters to me is winning. And this is a Monument victory.”

Despite the historic nature of the win, Seixas downplayed the age record, stating he cares only about winning Monuments. He cited Thibaut Pinot's 2018 victory as inspiration and hoped his success would similarly motivate the next generation of French cyclists.

Evenepoel, who finished fourth, admitted he has not regained his best form since the Tour de France. The Belgian said he could not follow Seixas's acceleration on the Civiglio and acknowledged the Frenchman was simply the strongest rider on the day.

In a surprise move, Seixas travelled four hours to Fréjus on Saturday afternoon to compete in the Roc d'Azur mountain bike marathon on Sunday. He described the decision as a spontaneous whim and said he would ride alongside teammate Bruno Armirail for fun.

Seixas ended his road season with eight wins, including stages at Itzulia Basque Country, Flèche Wallonne, and the Volta ao Algarve. He also finished second to Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and placed fourth overall in his Tour de France debut.