Paul Seixas wins Tour of Lombardy 2026 at 20

At 20 years old, Paul Seixas becomes the youngest winner in the history of the Tour of Lombardy, thanks to a solo attack on the Civiglio. A look back at his race, the route between Bergamo and Como, the legendary climbs like the Ghisallo, and the past podiums of the 'Race of the Falling Leaves.'

On October 10, 2026, in Como, Paul Seixas wrote a new chapter in French cycling history. At just 20 years old, the Lyon rider from the Decathlon CMA CGM team won the Tour of Lombardy solo, the last of the five "monuments" of the season. He became the youngest winner in the race's history and succeeded Thibaut Pinot, the last Frenchman to win in 2018. A look back at his race, the route and its legendary climbs, past podiums, and how to ride these roads yourself.

A Victory Built on the Civiglio

The 120th edition started in Bergamo and finished in Como, by the lake, after 239 km and around 4,600 meters of elevation gain. A breakaway of fourteen riders, including Ben O'Connor, Antonio Tiberi, and Victor Campenaerts, built a lead of just over three minutes before being caught in the finale.

The first major attacks came on the Madonna del Ghisallo, without making a difference. The first ascent of San Fermo della Battaglia, at the start of the final circuit in Como, then thinned the group of favorites: Primož Roglič, Matteo Jorgenson, and Lenny Martinez were dropped.

The decisive move came on the Civiglio, the steepest climb of the finale (4.2 km at 9.7% average), less than 20 km from the finish. Paul Seixas accelerated from the foot, without even getting out of the saddle. Tom Pidcock and Giulio Ciccone tried to follow before cracking. Remco Evenepoel and Isaac del Toro were never able to close the gap.

Alone at the summit with a twenty-second lead, the Frenchman extended his advantage on the second ascent of San Fermo della Battaglia before descending to the shores of Lake Como. He crossed the line in 5h 49m 28s.

The Top 10 of the 2026 Tour of Lombardy

Paul Seixas (France, Decathlon CMA CGM), in 5h 49m 28s
Enric Mas (Spain, Movistar), at 48s
Giulio Ciccone (Italy, Lidl-Trek), at 1m 05s
Remco Evenepoel (Belgium, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), at 1m 20s
Brandon McNulty (USA, UAE Team Emirates-XRG), at 1m 20s
Tom Pidcock (Great Britain, Pinarello-Q36.5), at 1m 20s
Pello Bilbao (Spain, Bahrain Victorious), at 1m 20s
Christian Scaroni (Italy, XDS Astana), at 1m 20s
Filippo Zana (Italy, Soudal Quick-Step), at 1m 20s
Mathys Rondel (France, Tudor), at 1m 20s

This victory ends five years of Tadej Pogačar's dominance, who won from 2021 to 2025.

Paul Seixas, a 20-Year-Old Phenomenon

Born on September 24, 2006, in Lyon, Paul Seixas won the Tour of Lombardy at 20 years and 16 days old. Trained at Vélo Club Villefranche Beaujolais and then with AG2R's juniors, he turned professional in 2025 with the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team, now Decathlon CMA CGM.

His progression has been meteoric:

2025: Winner of the Tour de l'Avenir, 3rd in the European Road Championships, and already 7th in the Tour of Lombardy in his first monument.
2026: Winner of the Tour of the Basque Country and La Flèche Wallonne, 2nd in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Strade Bianche, then 4th in the Tour de France after a long battle with Isaac del Toro for the white jersey.

A year after discovering the race, he returned to win it.

The Tour of Lombardy, the "Race of the Falling Leaves"

Created in 1905, the Tour of Lombardy is one of the oldest races on the calendar. Alongside Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, it is one of the five monuments of cycling, the most prestigious one-day classics.

Held in October, it closes the season on the roads of the Lombard Prealps, between Lakes Como and Iseo. Its nicknames speak volumes: the Race of the Falling Leaves, due to the season, and the "Autumn World Championship" in Italy.

Key facts:

Records for victories are held by Fausto Coppi and Tadej Pogačar, with 5 wins each. Coppi won four in a row (1946–1949), Pogačar five in a row (2021–2025). Alfredo Binda follows with 4 victories.
Finish cities have often changed. The race ended in Milan until 1960, then in Como from 1961. It later returned to Milan in the 1980s, passed through Monza and Bergamo, and reached Lecco in 2011. Since 2014, the finish has alternated between Bergamo and Como.
Italians dominate the palmares, with over half of the victories.

The 2026 Route and Its Climbs

Between Bergamo and Como, riders tackled a series of climbs in the Prealps:

Bocche del Gavarno: 3 km at 4.7%
Selvino: 10.1 km at 5.9%, with its famous hairpins above Val Seriana (see the route)
Colle di Berbenno: 4.5 km at 6.3% (see the route)
Valpiana: 10.1 km at 6.2% (see the route)
Colle Brianza, via Giovenzana: 3.6 km at 9.2% (see the route)
Madonna del Ghisallo: 8.6 km at 6.2%, with sections at 14% (see the route via Bellagio)
San Fermo della Battaglia, first ascent: 2.7 km at 7.2%
Civiglio: 4.2 km at 9.7%, the climb of the decisive attack
San Fermo della Battaglia, second ascent, before a fast 5.2 km descent to the finish

The final 22 km circuit around Como, with San Fermo, Civiglio, and San Fermo again, concentrates all the difficulty in the last hour of racing.

The Legendary Climbs of Lombardy

The Madonna del Ghisallo, the Cyclists' Sanctuary

This is the symbol of the race. At the summit, 754 meters above sea level, a small chapel overlooks Lake Como. The Madonna del Ghisallo was proclaimed the patron saint of cyclists in 1949. The chapel houses bikes and jerseys donated by champions, and a cycling museum was built right next to it.

From the classic side, starting in Bellagio, the climb is about 10.6 km at 5.2% average, with steep sections in the first kilometers. Its route and profile can be found in the Sportwhen route of the Madonna del Ghisallo via Bellagio.

The Muro di Sormano, the Most Dreaded Wall

Absent this year, the Muro di Sormano is the most spectacular climb in the race's history. It is less than 2 km long, but its average gradient approaches 16%, with some sections exceeding 20%. Used from 1960 to 1962, it was abandoned because riders had to dismount, then it returned in 2012. The slopes are painted with markers showing riders' times.

The Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia, the Deciders of the Finale

When the finish is in Como, these two climbs almost always decide the race. The Civiglio is short but very consistent, around 10% almost all the way, and the road narrows sharply at the top. San Fermo is less steep but comes just a few kilometers from the line. It was here that Philippe Gilbert beat Michele Scarponi in 2010.

The Latest Podiums of Il Lombardia

2026: Paul Seixas, Enric Mas, Giulio Ciccone
2025: Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, Michael Storer
2024: Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel, Giulio Ciccone
2023: Tadej Pogačar, Andrea Bagioli, Primož Roglič
2022: Tadej Pogačar, Enric Mas, Mikel Landa
2021: Tadej Pogačar, Fausto Masnada, Adam Yates
2020: Jakob Fuglsang, George Bennett, Aleksandr Vlasov (race exceptionally held on August 15)
2019: Bauke Mollema, Alejandro Valverde, Egan Bernal
2018: Thibaut Pinot, Vincenzo Nibali, Dylan Teuns
2017: Vincenzo Nibali, Julian Alaphilippe, Gianni Moscon
2016: Esteban Chaves, Diego Rosa, Rigoberto Urán
2015: Vincenzo Nibali, Daniel Moreno, Thibaut Pinot

The French riders are in bold. Enric Mas stands on the podium for the second time, four years after his second place in 2022. Giulio Ciccone, third as in 2024, was competing in his last race in the Lidl-Trek jersey.

French Winners of Il Lombardia

Paul Seixas joins a prestigious list. Among the French riders who have won the race:

Gustave Garrigou in 1907
Henri Pélissier, three-time winner, in 1911, 1913 and 1920
Louison Bobet in 1951
André Darrigade in 1956, ahead of Fausto Coppi
Bernard Hinault in 1979 and 1984
Charly Mottet in 1988
Laurent Jalabert in 1997
Thibaut Pinot in 2018
Paul Seixas in 2026

Riding the Routes of Il Lombardia with Sportwhen

The climbs of Il Lombardia are open to all cyclists, and the Lake Como region is one of Europe's most beautiful cycling destinations.

Five climbs from the 2026 route are already described on Sportwhen, with their route and profile:

The Selvino Climb, the longest in the first part of the race
Colle di Berbenno
The Valpiana Climb
The Giovenzana Climb, the steepest before the Ghisallo
Madonna del Ghisallo via Bellagio, the classic side, up to the cyclists' sanctuary

Other ride ideas:

The Ghisallo Loop: Climb from Bellagio to the sanctuary and cycling museum, then descend to Asso. An essential ride, accessible to a trained cyclist.
The Como Finale: Link the Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia from Como, on a loop of about twenty kilometers, to measure Paul Seixas' effort.
The Muro di Sormano Challenge: Reserved for experienced climbers, with a very short development.

For these other rides, plan your own route with Sportwhen's Adventure tool: visualize the route, distance, and climb profiles before you go. Also, find locations and partners to ride near you in the Cycling section.

The best time to ride in Lombardy is from spring to autumn. In October, at the time of the race, the colors of the forests above the lake remind us why it is called the race of the falling leaves.

Sources

Illustration photo: Anjuna Ale on Unsplash

Paul Seixas Wins the Tour of Lombardy: The Route, the Climbs, and the Podiums