'Anything other than gold would be a disappointment' – Ultra-ambitious Paul Seixas throws down the gauntlet for Road World Championships title

Paul Seixas may only just have turned 20 this week, but the young Frenchman is already aiming for the biggest goal possible in the Road World Championships elite men's race on Sunday – and he will have an entire team at his disposal to help him achieve it.

Second in the GP de Montréal less than a fortnight ago, and a surprise bronze medallist in the elite men's time trial last Sunday, Seixas spent no small amount of time in the French elite men team's press conference earlier this week weighing up the considerable strength in depth of the opposition.

In terms of possible winning scenarios for Sunday, Seixas said he had been working specifically in training on his sprints, which he feels could well be necessary for him to succeed.

However, as he also warned, any battle for the victory after 270 kilometres is a very different beast to how finishes tend to play out after shorter races than the Worlds. But with his team backing him 100%, he said, and some great form, his morale going into what is only his second elite men's road race this autumn – he was 13th in Kigali last year – could only be high.

Asked if he needed to finish solo to win gold, Seixas explained that that might not be necessary, due to the inherent difficulty of such a hilly, long race, with nearly 4,000 metres of vertical climbing.

"It doesn't matter which rider you are, they'll all tell you they prefer to finish alone because it's the simplest way of winning," Seixas said in comments reported by L'Équipe.

"But finishing with several riders on Sunday could actually help me. I'm not the slowest rider in the world and I've been working on that [his sprint] once a week. That helps me maintain my explosiveness which can be important.

"At the end of 270 kilometres of racing, it's never the same. The finish is hard and we'll have to see about the wind direction as well."

When it comes to being in the best position possible to take advantage of whatever circumstances Sunday throws at him, Seixas agreed that he felt complimented regardless at being given the role of sole leader for France.

"I know that I am physically capable of keeping up with the best, and the team is aware of that too. Do I feel the pressure? A little, but that is normal.

"Our ambition is simple: we want to win that title. Given my form, anything other than gold would really be a disappointment."

Although Seixas was unable to beat Isaac del Toro (Mexico) on exactly the same terrain in the GP de Montréal, he did not feel overly troubled by the prospect of a similar scenario playing out again. His main concern, he explained, was to do with the pace of the competition, and keeping it as high as possible.

"What suits me the best is for the racing to be made tough," he explained.

"We'll see how we do that, but we haven't had the pre-race meeting yet. [French team coach] Thomas Voeckler always has some ideas in his head about those questions, and I'm waiting to see what they are."

"In theory, the Belgians are the top favourites, with Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel. They have two really strong leaders for two different scenarios, so it'll be up to them to control the race from the gun. But we'll see what we can do to challenge them."

Similar but not the same

Just as Tom Pidcock argued a little later in the week, Seixas felt that despite having such a similar course, the Worlds would not be the same kind of event as the GP de Montréal.

"The long approach road to the circuit" – around 110 kilometres of racing – "changes things, and so does the lower number of laps" – 12 in the Worlds, 16 in Montréal.

"To define what kind of rider can win on it, you'll just have to see how the course actually plays out. It's very open."

Seixas said he had shifted his focus since the Worlds time trial completely, even if the bronze medal he took there was an excellent memory, to be sure that he kept his eye on what is the main prize: Sunday's road race.

"That's how it should be. I did the time trial well, but I've moved onto something else," he said.

"I trained well, I've done some endurance work and I'm ready for the road race. My TT medal doesn't change things enormously, the two races don't have anything in common, but it does show I'm in good form, and that I've kept that good form in the last few days.

"That gives me some more confidence for Sunday, but it doesn't change things so much."

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for comprehensive race coverage of both the UCI Road and Gravel World Championships, alongside the final monument of the season, Il Lombardia. Subscribers get unlimited access to exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.