Paul Seixas handed sprint warning before Montreal Worlds

Paul Seixas has been warned that his chances of winning the world road race in Montreal could depend on avoiding a sprint. Remco Evenepoel believes the 19-year-old Frenchman has the ability to contend, but is not among the fastest riders if the race reaches a mass finish.

The assessment puts pressure on France to make the race selective from the opening laps and create a situation in which Seixas can finish alone. The Decathlon CMA CGM leader was recently beaten by Isaac Del Toro in a sprint, a result that supports Evenepoel’s view of where the French rider may be vulnerable.

Seixas remains one of the leading contenders despite his age, particularly with defending double world champion Tadej Pogacar absent. Evenepoel identified Del Toro as his main rival and also named Mathieu van der Poel as a threat if he arrives at the finish with strong legs.

Evenepoel enters the race as the leading favourite and could become the first rider to win both the time trial and road race at the same World Championships. The Belgian finished second behind Pogacar in the last Tour de France and says that experience has increased his confidence ahead of a race expected to last almost six and a half hours. He is especially keen to avoid a sprint against Van der Poel.