Arabic version: سيكس يفوز تاريخياً بجيرو دي لومبارديا بعد احتجاج على السلامة

According to The Guardian, Paul Seixas completed a breakthrough season by winning the Giro di Lombardia and becoming the youngest winner of the Classic of the Falling Leaves. The 20-year-old French rider is also the fourth-youngest winner of a Monument, cycling’s five most prestigious one-day classics.

Enric Mas, the Vuelta champion, finished second, 48 seconds behind Seixas. Giulio Ciccone completed the podium just over a minute back. Remco Evenepoel and Brandon McNulty were fourth and fifth after losing ground following Seixas’s decisive move.

The race began five minutes late after riders staged a brief safety protest prompted by incidents involving non-race vehicles. Once organisers completed the start countdown, the peloton remained stationary before Evenepoel addressed the crowd. He said riders could not continue accepting injuries and deaths while competing.

Evenepoel referred to the death of Finlay Tarling, the younger brother of Netcompany Ineos rider Josh Tarling, after a collision with a vehicle during the Tour of Portugal on 14 August. Thomas Gloag and Marcel Camprubi were also struck by a police motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction at the Tre Valli Varesine on Wednesday.

Seixas made his winning attack on the Civiglio climb with about 19km remaining in the 239km race. Within a kilometre he had dropped his remaining challengers, including Evenepoel, pre-race favourite Isaac del Toro and world champion McNulty. With Tadej Pogacar, winner of the previous five editions, absent through injury, Seixas seized his opportunity in only his third Monument appearance.

The victory capped Seixas’s first full professional season. He was fourth in his debut Tour de France, won the Tour of the Basque Country and La Flèche Wallonne, and finished second at Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Montreal GP. He also took time-trial bronze at the world championships.