The China Mail - First major bump but prodigy Seixas still headed for the top

The prodigiously-gifted teenager started the Tour de France warm-up event as the favourite after a stunning year of brilliant victories and startling performances.

But all did not go to plan and France's great hope to end their 41-year wait for a home winner at the Grande Boucle was forced to climb off his bike and throw in the towel on Sunday's final stage.

However, the way he and his teammates battled back from his high-speed crash on Saturday to close a four-minute deficit to a charging peloton to try to keep Seixas's victory hopes alive, gave Decathlon CMA CGM general manager Julien Jurdie cause for hope.

"Paul's crash was a unifying event for the whole team," he said.

"The lads impressed everyone and Paul really appreciated it."

Seixas's dream of winning the week-long tour in his home region may have died, but the 19-year-old's stunning fightback on Saturday may well have been his best performance yet -- even if he has nothing to show for it.

"We learn a lot through pain, Paul will take a lot out of these two days," added Jurdie.

He had crashed badly on a fast descent when trying to overtake on a bend and slid up to 30 metres along the tarmac, leaving him with abrasions on his hands, arms and legs.

He took some time to get going again as he was assisted by the race medical team, and once he did resume his race, he soon found himself four minutes behind the peloton.

Decathlon brilliantly used his teammates, each in turn, to help pace him back to a peloton which was on the charge as the other favourites' teams looked to control the breakaway.

That Seixas was able to get back -- never giving up either physically or mentally -- and then still had the strength on the punishing Grand Colombier climb to the finish to come home in seventh, spoke volumes about his maturity and ability.

And while he ultimately had to pull out the next day, that was largely as a precaution to protect him ahead of the Tour, which begins in less than three weeks.

- 'He's young' -

"A crash like the one sustained on Saturday, at around 70 kph, is very costly in terms of energy expenditure, and he will need a few days of rest before resuming his preparation for the Tour de France," Decathlon's medical director Jacky Maillot said.

For the first time in his fledgling career, Seixas will have to call on his powers of physical recovery while seeing his preparation time for the Tour cut short.

But throughout the difficult times, Seixas has shown he is a leader.

He was quick to take full responsibility for his crash and made a point after Saturday's stage of thanking and praising his teammates, who sacrificed themselves to bring him back to the main chasing group.

He was also mature enough to apologise to the riders whom he almost caused to crash through his reckless move around the outside on a bend.

Already, before the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes tour began, Jurdie had spoken about Seixas's increasing capacity to lead a team as he "becomes more and more comfortable talking to older teammates".

"He's young, he'll make mistakes, but that's how we progress," Jurdie had added, with a hint of clairvoyance.

Now Seixas will rest up for a few days before heading for another altitude training camp.

He has had a bump in the road, but Seixas's journey still seems destined to take him to the top.

S.Davis--ThChM