MADRID, April 11 (Xinhua) -- 19-year-old Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) is just one stage away from being the youngest cyclist to ever win a week-long stage race after winning his third stage of the Itzulia Basque Country (Tour of the Basque Region) cycle race on Friday.
Seixas won the 'Queen stage' of the Itzulia after a thrilling finish that saw him race head-to-head with Florian Lipowitz up the last of seven categorized climbs in the 176.2 kilometers which began and ended in the town of Eibar.
The stage included a massive 3,800 meters of ascent to test the legs of the riders after four days already packed with climbing and hardly a meter of flat riding, with five of Friday's climbs packed into the last 70 kilometers.
Although a breakaway was able to escape early in the day, the main peloton got back in contact with around 50 kilometers left to ride, with Seixas and Lipowitz the two strongest riders.
The stage was decided on a hair-raising descent down the final Urkaregi climb with Seixas taking the lead and hurling himself down the steep gradient and into the sharp corners, while Lipowitz clung close behind.
Lipowitz took the lead as the pair entered the streets of Eibar and tried to surprise Seixas by launching his sprint early, but the Frenchman was too strong and won by a bike length.
"It was a hard stage, I said I wanted to win it in the morning and the team has done a great job to help control it, they were always there and they paced me well," said Seixas.
Even though he has a lead of two and a half minutes over Lipowitz, Seixas said he wasn't taking his win for granted ahead of Saturday's final stage, where rain is predicted.
"It's 120 kilometers and it could be difficult with the rain. I hope to have the legs but nothing is finished yet. The other riders are great riders and will want to win," he commented. ■
