Seixas, 20, wins Giro di Lombardia for first Monument victory

Paul Seixas attacked with 19km remaining in Como on Saturday and rode alone to the first Monument victory of his career at the Giro di Lombardia. The 20-year-old pulled clear on the Civiglio climb, where only Britain's Tom Pidcock and Italy's Giulio Ciccone could follow his wheel, before dropping both a few hundred metres later. He then covered the final 18km on his own to take the title. At 20, he becomes the youngest Monument winner since 1944 and the youngest ever winner of the Giro di Lombardia.

Spain's Enric Mas finished second, with Ciccone completing the podium in third. The Decathlon-CMA CGM rider's win came in only his third appearance in the Italian classic, after he placed seventh last year. He had also finished second behind Tadej Pogacar at Liege-Bastogne-Liege earlier in the season.

Pogacar, who had won the Giro di Lombardia for the past five years, missed the race after crashing at the Vuelta a Espana two months ago. His absence opened the way for a new name to take the final Monument of the season, one of the five most prestigious one-day races in professional cycling.

The result marks a significant moment for French cycling. Seixas is the first Frenchman to win a Monument since Julian Alaphilippe at Milan-San Remo in 2019, and the first to triumph at the Giro di Lombardia since Thibaut Pinot in 2018.

The victory follows a mixed season for the young Frenchman. He finished fourth in this year's Tour de France, but suffered a major disappointment two weeks ago at the World Championships, where he started among the favourites and ended up 15th. Saturday's solo ride in Como delivered a far different outcome.