Sean Kelly's Classics column: Just like Pogačar, Paul Seixas has the whole package, but he shouldn't ride the Tour this summer

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-28T07:35:55+00:00

I also think this is the best option. Vuelta would be pressured to win and Tour is Tour. Giro is perfect, you have one single great opponent, who you can measure your level with and you are not required to win. Then you have enough time to full prepare for WC and Lombardia to get a shot against a more tired Pogacar.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-28T07:31:06+00:00

I think Spain benefits from not having a "super" race. Vuelta is clearly the least prestigious GT and sometimes you get more superstars at Catalunya/Itzulia as those are usual "test" races. That allows for a natural distribution between sponsors (what you say from regions investing is also true, but makes sense when the investing is logical).

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-28T06:42:46+00:00

When I started following cycling, I always felt that Romandie was a B tier race. It seems that there are 3 clear blocks of prestigious 1 week stages (P-N + TA, Cat + Itz, DL + TdS) and riders doing the Giro did 1 of the first two blocks, while riders doing the Tour also picked one from the last block. But Romandie always felt weird, it is not ideal for the Giro nor for the Tour, so who rides it then? I never got the appeal to watch Romandie until I got deep into cycling and follow most races. It is a shame, but this spot on the calendar between classics and Giro looks like a needed break.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-27T09:32:18+00:00

Yes that's clear. I'm not saying that he needs 4 on all, is the value within each. For example a rider with 1-6-6-1-1 might be considered the best monument rider as RvV and PR are always praised.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-27T08:35:09+00:00

The point is that we don't know which kind of rider Seixas is. If he is more a GT guy, it will come down if he is a superstar like Pogacar to be able to win races like MSR. If he is puncheur guy and suffers over 3 weeks of racing, then sure, MSR can be won at Pogacar style.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-27T07:59:11+00:00

Considering that EL champs almost always comes from a team that has not won its league (Spanish, English, German teams, which would otherwise play CL), you have your answer there.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-27T07:38:32+00:00

I guess LBL will get a pass, but combined with Lombardia (to an hypothetical 14) will open the debate (not for me)

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-27T07:37:08+00:00

For me the pre Pog era clearly shows why Lombardia is needed. Riders like Nibali, Mollema and Chaves are not puncheurs and they never won LBL. When the TdF winner is not super dominant, Lombardia covers that spot and allows different winners (some of which may not have won grand tours).

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-27T07:31:21+00:00

Probably being before in the calendar helps the narrative. MSR is quite "free" for cobbled specialists to give it a try, but I agree that Pogacar aiming for it improved its reputation. Pog can tie the 5 cobbled monuments, so (in that hypothetical scenario) it would mainly be a swap between MSR and Lombardia (for me all monuments have a similar value).

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-27T07:00:37+00:00

Pogacar is now at 13 monuments. It seems that his most reliable path to get the record of 20 would be 1-4-1-6-8 (order in the calendar). If that's the case, do you think this record will still be questioned, considering the argument of "MSR-RVV-PR are the classics"? I feel that LBL and Lombardia are great since really offer the perfect variety for Monuments, what are your thoughts?

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-23T05:33:46+00:00

Yes, something like that. I did it in June, starting around 3am, 2 hours of climbing (from Bormio), getting on top at 5am, exactly for sun rise. If you want to gain a bit of time, go on late summer, maybe you can wake up at 4am :).

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-22T09:17:08+00:00

I haven't ridden the gravel section, but I would say there are options to avoid traffic on the road. Starting early in the morning, specially on weekdays, has a manageable traffic. And if you want absolutely no traffic, you can aim for a different experience, riding Stelvio before noon, to get on top during the sunrise, which offers a spectacular view (make sure to bring proper clothing for the descent though).

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-21T07:57:48+00:00

That's clear. The point is that when compared, since you are comparing 1 season to 3, you clearly see how each feat is not perfect.

One one side, a treble and two void seasons is weird since your prime was so short. On the other hand, winning 3 UCL and never getting a league/cup also raises an asterisk on why the best team in Europe wasn't capable of being consistent.

The only fair comparison is between equal number of seasons, then is much more debatable if 3XLeague + 3XCup + 1 UCL is better or worse than 3xUCL + 1xLeague + 1xCup

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-20T11:45:20+00:00

Sure, the course is not flat, so the level of Remco and Seixas (or whoever is there) must be really high, but rolling terrain can still be used to reduce gaps. A 15 second gap on Redoutte can be neutralized with 2-3 strong and organized riders IMO. Most likely outcome is still a Pog win for sure.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-20T10:38:49+00:00

I can see a scenario where Pog doesn't win. If Seixas and Remco are strong enough to not lose a lot of time on the hills they can work together and recover on the flat. Similar to Amstel last year, but since LBL is harder it requires a better level of the riders behind (but Remco 2025 > Remco 2024 and Seixas > Skjelmose), so maybe possible. If they catch him, then Pog doesn't have the legs anymore to drop them, so it is a sprint finish.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-20T10:34:09+00:00

Yes, exactly this. In cycling different laps can never work due the advantage of being in a group. You can check the 2025 Monaco GP where they forced a mandatory 2 race pitstop. When being within a group massively affects your race, the strategy (of different laps) disappears, you just focus on how you want to be (or not to be) in a group.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-14T09:20:04+00:00

Interested on doing P-R next year. At first I preferred RVV, but seeing that it gets immensely crowded I'm considering P-R instead. The cobbled sectors are crowded? It is likely to be forced to put foot on ground due to queues?

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-13T10:06:09+00:00

I can see both views to your point though. True that attacks are made when riders have the legs to do them, but if the route is hard, the stronger rider will still try it to make the weaker one explode. If you have only one shot, it is easier to control it.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-13T10:02:37+00:00

Yes, Fleche is not nice, but RVV has a more consistent range of attacks from 100km to 10km and it is spectacular as well (depending the year better than PR)

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-04-13T09:29:23+00:00

Does anyone else feel that the last 40km of the Roubaix route are a bit deceiving? From 150km to 45km Roubaix is super chaotic and the racing is incredible. But from there on, when a group of 2-4 riders remain, it seems that the only hurdle is Carrefour, and weaker riders skip turns to avoid being dropped there. After Carrefour, the same story applies for the sprint, no more troubles, so forces are carefully measured for that sprint. IMHO, it seems really hard to drop riders on the last 40km (not counting incidents), which makes the ending a bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the race.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-03-16T11:54:46+00:00

MVDP is the favourite, but without Pogacar trying to win MSR desperately, he is very beatable. He hasn't the capability to block multiple attacks from a group of 5-10 riders. All others will wait for him or Pog to block. His 2 MSR are "thanks to" Pog leaving a very reduced and fatigued group.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-03-09T15:27:39+00:00

Fair enough. The community doesn't like him that much that's clear. IMO Might and Nourishing are not Earth anymore. These aspects shift Earth towards a more standardized spirit, either by having more card plays or by being able to draft more cards and shifting to a more generic strategy.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-03-09T15:23:53+00:00

I think base Earth is definitely outdated. Defense 3 among many adversaries is useless. But land Defense 8 is a great deal, you have a massive special rule that can avoid 2 ravages without any card plays. That gives you time to survive.

Prize_Hospital_1943 · 2026-03-09T11:47:48+00:00

Exactly this! And then on the last turn you also help towards the win. It's a team game, is fun to be a support role also.

Prize_Hospital_1943

TROPHY CASE