Paul Seixas in pain after crashing hard on penultimate stage of Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

Paul Seixas looked on obvious pain when he crossed the finishing line at Grand Colombier
Paul Seixas looked on obvious pain when he crossed the finishing line at Grand ColombierČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Vincent Kalut

France's cycling young star, Paul Seixas, suffered a setback at the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes after a heavy crash on the penultimate stage to potentially cost him his chance at overall victory. The 19-year-old from Team Decathlon CMA CGM lost time on Saturday, but was at least able to continue this dress rehearsal for the Tour de France.

The stage win at the mountain finish after 133.6 km on the Grand Colombier, known from the Tour de Frandsen, went to Mexican Isaac del Toro from Team UAE Emirates-XRG, who finished 24 seconds ahead of Spaniard Juan Ayuso from Team Lidl-Trek and last year's Tour sixth-place finisher Tobias Halland Johannessen (Norway/+38 seconds).

The best German was former speed skater Lennart Jasch. The 25-year-old rider from Team Tudor Pro Cycling finished 13th, 3:07 minutes behind.

Seixas remains combative after the crash.

Paul Seixas crashed on the tough penultimate stage with a mountain finish after about 40 kilometers. After spending some time on the ground, he got back on his bike and, accompanied by two teammates, chased the peloton with a deficit of around four minutes. Grazes on his arms and legs and blood stains on his white best young rider's jersey bore witness to the crash.

37 km from the finish, Seixas managed to rejoin the peloton, but on the final climb, he couldn't keep up with the best and finished seventh, 1:21 minutes behind. In the overall standings, Seixas is in sixth place.

The overall leader is 21-year-old Australian Luke Tuckwell from the German team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, with a 42-second lead over Matteo Jorgenson (USA) from Team Visma-Lease a Bike. Third is stage winner del Torro (+49 seconds).

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