10/10/2026 02:20:00
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10/10 14:19 CDT Seixas becomes youngest winner of Tour of Lombardy at 20 and
cyclists protest over safety concerns
Seixas becomes youngest winner of Tour of Lombardy at 20 and cyclists protest
over safety concerns
ROME (AP) --- France's rising cycling talent Paul Seixas made history at the
Tour de Lombardy when he became its youngest winner ever on Saturday after
riders protested safety concerns.
The 20-year-old Seixas broke away with around 20 kilometers left to win the
one-day race in northern Italy that had been dominated by the currently injured
Tadej Pogacar for the previous five years.
"I had the feeling today would be a great day. It feels like a dream," Seixas
said.
He savored the winning feeling after racing for nearly six hours.
Spanish Vuelta winner Enric Mas was second at 48 seconds behind, followed by
Italian Giulio Ciccone.
The Tour of Lombardy started in 1905. It is one of cycling's elite one-day
Monument races.
Seixas finished this summer's Tour de France fourth overall in his debut.
Also this season, Seixas became the youngest winner of the Flche Wallonne at
19 and finished runner-up to Pogacar, a five-time Tour champion, at the Strade
Bianche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Riders protest safety concerns
The start of the race was delayed for around five minutes when riders didn't
begin as scheduled in a protest to denounce unsafe racing conditions and the
recent death of a cyclist.
Star rider Remco Evenepoel spoke for the peloton at the start line in Bergamo.
"Unfortunately, we lost the life of a brother and of a colleague, so we want to
make this statement to show the world that we cannot keep accepting the fact
that guys are getting injured or literally dying in what we like the most to
do," Evenepoel said.
"So this is why we want to spend five minutes more still to make our statement
towards organizations, to the public, to everybody that is following cycling,
because we cannot accept the fact that people are dying."
British rider Finlay Tarling died following a serious incident in the Volta a
Portugal race in August when the 19-year-old was run over by a car that entered
the road. The driver reportedly missed the signs from stewards and entered the
road going in the opposite direction of the race.
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