Seixas Becomes Youngest Ever Flèche Wallonne Winner On Debut, Three Seconds Clear Of Schmid And Tulett On The Mur De Huy
Paul Seixas has written himself into Ardennes history. Nineteen years and 210 days old, the French phenom launched on the 19 per cent ramp of the Mur de Huy and rode clear of the field to win the 2026 Flèche Wallonne on his debut, becoming the youngest winner in the race's 90-year history by almost two full years. The previous record, held since 1936 by Belgian Philémon De Meersman, had stood for nine decades.
Seixas crossed the line in 4h35'29" over the 200 kilometres from Charleroi, three seconds clear of Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla), who produced the ride of his career to take second after being dropped on the early slopes and clawing his way back through the splintering chase. Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) completed the podium at the same time, with Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) fourth, also at three seconds.
The Wednesday morning bulletin had priced Seixas a 6/5 favourite on a Mur de Huy field missing Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel and Matteo Jorgenson. The teenager justified the board from the opening move, surviving a mid-race crash inside the final 60 kilometres that briefly cost him position in the peloton but left him unscathed. Decathlon-CMA CGM rode a composed race from the front, feeding him into the final kilometre perfectly positioned.
On the Mur itself, Seixas waited. With 200 metres remaining he shifted out of the saddle, accelerated once, and the front of the race simply dissolved behind him. Schmid fought on heroically. Tulett, who had never stood on a Monument podium before, hung on by the skin of his teeth. Cosnefroy, 10 years Seixas's senior and a man who thought he had seen everything on this climb, could only shake his head at the top.
"Last year I was watching on television, now I just won this race," Seixas said in the flash interview, seemingly more stunned than anyone. The win is the biggest of his career and succeeds Pogačar on the Flèche Wallonne roll of honour, a line of inheritance that began with Merckx, Argentin, Rebellin and Valverde. His winning margin — three seconds at the summit — was the most decisive Mur de Huy victory since 2022.
Cosnefroy, finishing fourth, was unequivocal: "In reality, it's like Tadej. You just accept it." The French press, which has been carefully managing expectations around Seixas for two seasons, abandoned all restraint within an hour of the finish. Cycling Weekly led with "France probably hasn't had such a talent since Hinault." Escape Collective's tactical breakdown was headlined "Paul Seixas doesn't need tactics."
The Decathlon camp immediately turned to Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, where Seixas will face Pogačar, Evenepoel and a rested Belgian for the first time on a Monument climb that may finally answer the question his Itzulia overall and Flèche debut have been asking for a fortnight: is he already at Pogačar's level? The Wednesday evening La Doyenne market opened Pogačar 4/6, Seixas 3/1, Evenepoel 4/1 — a shorter number on the Frenchman than anyone had forecast even 48 hours ago.
For the moment, however, the Mur de Huy belongs to him. A 19-year-old in his first Ardennes campaign, three seconds clear on a climb that has humbled generations — that is the kind of ride that reframes a career. The legend grows, as the French papers kept writing. On Sunday, it will be tested.