French cyclist Paul Seixas won the Giro di Lombardia on Saturday, riding solo to the first Monument victory of his career. The 20-year-old finished ahead of Spain's Enric Mas and Italy's Giulio Ciccone in Como, in northern Italy, after a 240-kilometre race from Bergamo. Riding for the Decathlon–CMA CGM team, he became the youngest winner in the history of the race, at 20 years and 16 days, and the youngest Monument winner since 1944.
Seixas made his decisive move on the Civiglio climb, with roughly 18 to 19 km remaining. Britain's Tom Pidcock and Ciccone were the only riders able to follow his acceleration, but he dropped both a few hundred metres later. He then held his lead over the final kilometres, taking risks on the descents toward Como. Monuments are the five most prestigious one-day races in professional cycling, and this was his third appearance in Lombardy. He finished seventh last year and was second behind Tadej Pogacar at this year's Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
The race was missing Pogacar, the Slovenian superstar who had won the Lombardy classic in each of the last five years. He ended his season early after a heavy crash at the Vuelta a España about two months ago. His UAE team-mates Isaac del Toro of Mexico and Brian McNulty of the United States, the latter recently crowned world champion, were unable to answer Seixas's attack.
The result is a milestone for French cycling. Seixas is the first Frenchman to win a Monument since Julian Alaphilippe took Milan–San Remo in 2019, and the first to win in Lombardy since Thibaut Pinot, who triumphed there in 2018 according to Reuters, though Dutch broadcaster NOS dates it to 2019. It was the 13th French victory in the race's history.
The win capped a strong autumn for Seixas, who finished fourth in this year's Tour de France and took a surprise third place in the individual time trial at the World Championships in Montreal. Yet the road race there, two weeks ago, was a disappointment: he started among the favourites but finished 15th, reportedly hampered by cramps. Saturday's victory quickly eclipsed that setback.
The race also marked an emotional farewell for Dutch rider Bauke Mollema, 39, who rode his final race and finished 114th, more than 21 minutes behind. Mollema won the Giro di Lombardia in 2019, as well as Tour de France stages and the Clásica San Sebastián. He rode through a guard of honour from fellow riders, a symbolic contrast with the winner, who is 19 years his junior.