Seixas abandons Tour Auvergne early in stage 8
Paul Seixas had followed through on his promise to ride on through the final stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but after being dropped on the first long descent of stage 8, the 19-year-old Frenchman climbed off, abandoning the race with pain in his elbows and hands.
The Decathlon-CMA CGM rider had been optimistic before the start, telling media, "I feel good enough to race today. I slept well last night and I hope everything goes well so that I get through the day well. My elbows are the biggest problem. I have some bruises, which makes it quite difficult to hold the handlebars properly.”
Seixas now has three weeks to recover before he makes his highly-anticipated Tour de France debut.
‘I made a stupid mistake’ – Seixas shoulders all the blame for his stage 7 ordeal at the Tour Auvergne
Paul Seixas finished seventh on the Grand Colombier, but it could have been a whole lot worse after his heavy crash early in the stage.
Kit Nicholson
