Tadej Pogacar faces Paul Seixas challenge at Liege-Bastogne-Liege
World number one Tadej Pogacar will face a formidable challenge from 19-year-old French sensation Paul Seixas at this weekend’s Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument.
The Slovenian rider has long dominated the cycling landscape, standing alone at the pinnacle of the sport.
However, ever-ratcheting hype over the past few weeks suggests a new major rivalry is about to dawn on the WorldTour.
All eyes are now on Sunday’s grueling Belgian Classic to serve as the first genuine litmus test of this emerging generational battle.
Rapid rise of a teenage prodigy
While the 27-year-old pre-race favourite is firmly in his prime, his upcoming challenger is currently rewriting the history books.
The teenager secured his maiden WorldTour victory earlier this month with a devastating overall performance at the Itzulia Basque Country.
He dismantled a stellar field in Spain, winning the individual time trial, two mountain stages and sweeping all four classifications.
That commanding display followed a stellar second-place finish on the rolling Tuscan dirt roads of Strade Bianche this spring.
His momentum continued with another historic triumph on Wednesday, surging up the infamous 15% gradients of the Mur de Huy to win La Fleche Wallonne.
Crossing the line first made the Decathlon rider the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious midweek Classic.
The ultimate endurance test
Both the reigning world champion and Belgian star Remco Evenepoel opted to skip La Fleche Wallonne to conserve energy for Sunday.
The pair will have undoubtedly watched the midweek racing with keen interest as the young Frenchman underlined his supreme climbing credentials.
They previously crossed paths at last autumn’s European Championships, where the French prodigy finished an impressive third behind only Pogacar and Evenepoel.
Cycling history is littered with cautionary tales of young riders failing to deliver on early promise, but the sport is increasingly convinced by this latest phenomenon.
