This cycling news roundup — in the middle of Flanders-Roubaix week — looks to…Spain, because that’s where Paul Seixas is racing. Perhaps it won’t be long before we’re complaining that Seixas’ performances are boring, but today, they’re novel! But don’t worry: I spend the rest of my pixels looking back at Flanders, forward to P-R…and up, to the top of Mt. Diablo. See you Sunday morning!
TOP STORY
- Seixas Confirms his Heir Apparent Status at Itzulia Basque Country
RACE NEWS
- Reader Poll Results: You Liked — but Didn’t Love — Flanders
- Paris-Roubaix 2026: What to Expect from the Queen of the Classics
- Merlier Makes It A Hat-Trick at Scheldeprijs
- One Cobblestone Away: Zdenek Stybar’s Paris-Roubaix Story
TEAM, RIDER AND PRO CYCLING NEWS
- THIS IS HOME: Mathieu van der Poel
- Landa Recovers, Finishes After Heavy Crash at Basque Country
- USA Cycling Announces Sports Performance Staffing Updates Ahead of LA 2028
MIKE’S RIDE OF THE WEEK: DAVIS TO DIABLO
Seixas Confirms his Heir Apparent Status at Itzulia Basque Country
It wasn’t long ago that you responded — rather emphatically — that the next rider not named Tadej Pogačar to win the Tour de France would not be Paul Seixas. Too young, too soon, seemed to be the sentiment.
To quote a famed American football player (and coach, and baseball player), “Do you believe now?”
That is, do you believe after watching Seixas dominate not just the Tour of the Basque Country’s big climbs, but its opening (admittedly hilly) time trial?
Le jeune didn’t only ascend better than del Toro (your pick to be the next Pogi), as well as Ayuso, Roglic, Skjelmose and the rest of the field — as we might expect from the grimpeur — but he also descended better than his competition.
At one point the question wasn’t whether he would lead this race from the first stage to the last, but whether he might win every stage. (It wasn’t to be; a breakaway on stage three was never caught, and Alex Laurance continued his strong spring with a muscular win.)
It is, of course, still early: in this stage race, in the season, in Seixas’ career. But every race he enters adds evidence that we might be witnessing a generational talent.
Once and future greats could only follow.
Decathlon leadership, don’t listen to the olds: Send Paul to the Tour.
RACE NEWS
Reader Poll Results: You Liked — but Didn’t Love — Flanders
According you, our dear readers, I was way too tough on last Sunday’s Tour of Flanders.
Consider me afflicted with Pogačar Derangement Syndrome: I love the guy, but really miss competitive races.
But I’m in the minority! Sixty-six percent of you voiced either glowing or very positive reviews of the ’26 version of RVV; just 19% responded that it was “Fine” (my vote) or “BO-RING.”
Your comments echoed the poll’s sentiments:
- “Absolutely thrilling on many levels. The big guns came to play. We are fortunate to be able to witness a rider who could well go down as the GOAT or at least the greatest of his generation.” — Peter in Scottsdale, AZ
- “Flanders was exactly what was expected. In the sense of dramatic finishes creating excitement, it was not a thriller. In another sense it was a jewel of racing that had me glued to the screen…The Tour of Flanders was more proof that we live in a time of one of two greatest cyclists to ever push the pedals. — PS. Did you know that Eddy Merckx’s family calls Pogacar – ‘Little Eddy?’” — Bryin in Hollidaysburg, PA
- “Whenever you have the top 5 single day racers battling it out, well what more can you ask for?” — Miguel in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- “We have all been passed on hills despite our best efforts; and when Mathieu van de Poel cites losing ground to Pogacar while pedaling at 650 watts. That really says something about Pogacar’s power.” — Leonard in Salt Lake City
The overriding theme: The races may not be that suspenseful, but we’re living in an age when we get to witness greatness — and that makes less exciting racing worthwhile.
I agree — but I’m also sure looking forward to Paris-Roubaix.
Paris-Roubaix 2026: What to Expect from the Queen of the Classics
According to another recent poll, it’s your favorite race to watch. It’s the Queen of the Classics, the Hell of the North. This year it’s the 123rd edition of Paris-Roubaix, rolling out on Sunday, April 12, the men covering 258.3 km from the traditional start in Compiègne to the iconic André-Pétrieux velodrome in Roubaix, where the winner is expected to arrive shortly before 5 p.m.
Paris-Roubaix — or “Paris-Roubaix Hauts-de-France,” according to the new, official nomenclature — is also virtually unique among WorldTour races because it’s neither a climbing race nor a sprinters’ contest; the famed cobbles separate riders not by power-to-weight, but by raw power, plus some measure of guts and bike handling ability.
This year, the decisive action unfolds across 30 cobbled sectors totaling 54.8 km — marginally less than the 55.3 km raced in 2025 — beginning in the town of Troisvilles at km 95.8. Race director Thierry Gouvenou has introduced a subtle but significant tweak to the opening sequence of difficulties. Four cobbled sectors come in rapid succession with almost no tarmac in between, creating what Gouvenou describes as an unmatched density of cobbles. This year, a rarely-used fifth sector has been added to the sequence: sector #26, which features an 800-metre uphill climb that is sure to accelerate early selection in the peloton.
Further along the route, the three five-star sectors retain their fearsome reputations. The Trouée d’Arenberg at km 163 received particular attention during the final course reconnaissance, with officials assessing an unusual but effective conservation method: a herd of goats has been deployed over the past month to graze the grass and help secure the ancient cobblestones. Mons-en-Pévèle (km 209.7) and the Carrefour de l’Arbre (km 241.2) complete the brutal finale.
In a historic first, Paris-Roubaix Femmes Hauts-de-France will race on the same day, starting from Denain over 143.1 km. The women’s route features a challenging 33.7 km of cobbles — 4.5 km more than last year — including the 17 sectors that make up the men’s finale, totalling 29.2 km. The women are expected to finish around 6:20 p.m.
The Competition
Considering the description above — this is a power race, not power-to-weight — it’s remarkable that Tadej Pogačar is even in the conversation about who might win the men’s race. Mathieu van der Poel has the best odds, but just barely; Pogačar hung onto him for most of the race last year, never succumbing, but instead sliding out on a dusty corner. Other contenders include Tour of Flanders fourth and fifth-place finishers Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen, as well as van der Poel’s teammate Jasper Philipsen and Ineos’ time trialing duo Filippo Ganna and Josh Tarling. Here at Pez, we have our eye on Laurence Pithie for a breakout performance.
In the women’s race, defending champion Lotte Kopecky will start as the strong favorite. The SD Worx-Protime leader has been in imperious form throughout the spring and thrives on exactly the kind of savage terrain that awaits. Her main challengers are likely to be Elisa Longo Borghini, back in fine form for Lidl-Trek, and Marianne Vos — should she decide to return to racing, following the death of her father. With an expanded cobbled parcours this year, the race could be decided earlier than ever — favoring the strongest rather than the most tactically astute.
Merlier Makes It A Hat-Trick at Scheldeprijs
Tim Merlier delivered one of the most compelling victories of the spring classics season on Wednesday, claiming his third consecutive Scheldeprijs title in Schoten to cement his status as the race’s undisputed master.
The Belgian sprinter, riding for Soudal Quick-Step, won after delivering a perfectly timed sprint finish, coming from a long way back in the finishing straight and surging past his rivals with around 200 metres to go. Pavel Bittner of Picnic-PostNL and Emilien Jeannière of TotalEnergies rounded out the podium.
The triumph was all the more remarkable given Merlier’s difficult build-up to the race. A nagging knee injury had limited him to just one race day so far in 2026, at last month’s GP Monseré, but the time on the sidelines did nothing to dull his speed or his sharp instincts.
The 205km race from Terneuzen to Schoten was shaped by late crashes inside the final 10 kilometres, which removed several key contenders and left a reduced group to contest the finish. Dylan Groenewegen was eliminated by a crash, while Jasper Philipsen had looked perfectly placed for victory heading into the finishing straight. Merlier, though, navigated the chaos with composure.
Beneath the flamme rouge, Merlier found himself back within sight of the head of the race, tacking onto the wheel of Jordi Meeus before kicking for home with 250 metres to go.
Only the second rider in history to win Scheldeprijs in three consecutive years, Merlier was emotional afterwards. “There were a lot of question marks for me before the start and I must admit I was pretty nervous, that’s why this victory gives me a lot of confidence for the next races,” he said. The king of Scheldeprijs is well and truly back.
Top Ten — 114th Scheldeprijs, courtesy of Pro Cycling Stats
Result 2026
One Cobblestone Away: Zdenek Stybar’s Paris-Roubaix Story
Few cyclists have come as close to winning Paris-Roubaix as Zdenek Stybar — and fallen short in such agonizing fashion.
The Czech rider, a three-time cyclo-cross world champion, transitioned to road racing at 27 and quickly became one of the sport’s premier Classics specialists. With six top-10 finishes at the Hell of the North, including two podium appearances, he built a remarkable record at cycling’s most brutal race.
His 2015 runner-up finish was a proud moment — John Degenkolb simply rode everyone off his wheel that day. But 2017 was a different kind of pain. Leading the sprint with 50 meters to go, Stybar was overtaken at the line by Greg Van Avermaet. The culprit? A suspension bike that couldn’t be locked, causing his handlebars to bounce during the crucial final effort.
“I was on my way to winning Roubaix in 2017,” Stybar admits. “I really struggled to accept my defeat.”
Racing for Quick-Step — a team with multiple Roubaix contenders each year — also complicated his path to victory. As Stybar reflects, finishing first and second may feel similar in the heat of battle, but only one changes your legacy forever.
Thanks to Paris-Roubaix Hauts-de-France for this latest story.
TEAM AND RIDER NEWS
THIS IS HOME: Mathieu van der Poel
The latest in Shimano’s This Is Home series pays homage to Paris-Roubaix champ Mathieu van der Poel in advance of this Sunday’s Hell of the North. The video introduces us to cycling’s First Family, and lays out MVDP’s history of victories on the ‘cross mud, the road, and of course the cobbles.
Landa Recovers, Finishes After Heavy Crash at Basque Country
Things looked very bad for Mikel Landa for a moment. The Soudal Quick-Step climber crashed hard during the second stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, after which he lay on the ground for a long time — but he managed somehow to complete the stage.
Landa finished 67th, more than thirteen minutes behind stage winner Paul Seixas . The Basque rider was still close to favorites like Primoz Roglic and Isaac Del Toro on the San Miguel de Aralar, the last major climb of the day, but crashed on the descent. At first his condition appeared concerning — but somehow the PEZ favorite completed the stage.
“Unfortunately, Mikel crashed on a descent in the last ten kilometers. He will undergo further examinations. Updates will follow,” Soudal Quick-Step wrote on social media.
USA Cycling Announces Sports Performance Staffing Updates Ahead of LA 2028
USA Cycling has announced a series of staffing updates within its Sports Performance department as the organization builds toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Preparing for a home Games requires intentional investment, and that starts with building the strongest possible coaching staff and sports science team around our athletes,” said USA Cycling CEO Brendan Quirk. “We believe 10 medals at the LA28 Olympics is within reach, and in the Paralympics, we’ll far surpass the eight medals we earned at Paris 2024.”
USA Cycling is pleased to announce the following appointments:
- Hayden Allen, PhD – Director of Performance Services
- Michael Roshon, MD/PhD – Chief Medical Officer
- Malcolm Gaynor – Performance Data Scientist
- Chris Furber – Senior Director of Para-Cycling Programs
- Jim Lehman – National Team Head Coach, Para-Cycling Road & Track
- Mike Durner – National Team Pathways Coach, Para-Cycling Road & Track
- Jono Coulter – National Team Coach, Junior Road
- Grant Holicky, CMPC – Program Manager, Cyclocross
- Nik Johnson – Operations Coordinator
Visit USACycling.org for more information.
MIKE’S RIDE OF THE WEEK:
DAVIS TO DIABLO
I was once told that you can see more area from the top of California’s Mt. Diablo than from any other mountain in the world, save the uniquely isolated and prominent Kilimanjaro.
Alas: it sounds like this isn’t actually true: Isolated as Diablo also is, it’s just not that tall:
But you can see Diablo from throughout the Bay Area, and from its summit on a very clear day you can spy the Farallon Islands — and even Yosemite’s Half Dome.
Hence the appeal of riding to the top of Mt. Diablo from afar: Last Saturday, riding from Davis, nearly 100 miles away, we could see our destination starting just a few miles in.
This peak is part of Bay Area cycling lore, attracting over 1,000 riders to the annual Diablo Challenge, a mass-start, bottom-to-top race — as well as the Tour of California (twice to the summit). Those all took the south road; we took the north route, a steadier, longer climb.
Our long-range assault doubled as a farewell to Victor, the Spanish hitter I wrote about a couple of months ago. He led a cadre of 15 or so on a journey that was often beautiful, occasionally social, and largely painful.
As a point of personal privilege, I’ll mention that Victor will be missed: He’s a strong rider and a great guy. If you’re headed to southern Spain, message me and I’ll put you in touch.
If you’re lucky enough to make it to the Roubaix Velodrome on Friday, you’ll recognize this scene –
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