Paul Seixas became the youngest winner in the history of La Flèche Wallonne, conquering the Mur de Huy with remarkable ease at just 19 years old, despite suffering a crash during the race. The second stage of the famed Ardennes triptych saw a strong French contingent vying for victory. Among them, Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), who shone in the Basque Country; Kévin Vauquelin (INEOS Grenadiers), runner-up in the last two editions; Lenny Martinez (Bahrain – Victorious); Romain Grégoire (Groupama – FDJ United); and Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) all posed serious threats.
As a breakaway set the pace, the main question was whether the favorites would wait for the final ascent of the legendary Mur de Huy. The battle unfolded without former three-time winner Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling Team), the last French rider to win the classic, who abandoned after never finding his rhythm. The key uncertainty for Seixas was his ability to deliver sharp, explosive efforts against specialists, but things took a turn when news emerged of his crash during the race. Fortunately, it had no serious consequences, but its effect on the outcome remained to be seen.
With 20 km to go, tension escalated as a first crash eliminated another former champion, Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team). Then Kévin Vauquelin suffered a mechanical issue, forcing him to take Axel Laurence’s bike. The breakaway was in its final moments, notably Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), who attempted a last attack before being reeled in with less than 10 km left. The fight for position was intense. When the peloton tackled the Mur de Huy for the third and final time—a climb with gradients exceeding 20%—Ewen Costiou (Groupama – FDJ United) opened the ascent. The battle to follow Seixas was fierce; he surged steadily, then accelerated. A first attack split the group, a second gave him a gap, and without looking back, he left everyone behind to claim victory like a true champion.
Seixas is now the youngest winner in Flèche Wallonne history, a true phenomenon. The duel with Tadej Pogačar this Sunday at Liège-Bastogne-Liège promises to be spectacular. Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco AlUla) and Ben Tulett (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) completed the podium on Wednesday.