French cyclist wins major race

French cyclist Paul Seixas from Lyon won the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday, October 10, achieving a solo performance that marked his first victory in a Monument. The Tour of Lombardy is one of the five classic races known as the "Monuments" in professional cycling, each with a long history and prestige.

Strava flags unusual activity

The win was accompanied by an unusual incident involving the Strava application, which automatically excluded eight of his records, suspecting external assistance. Strava is a popular fitness tracking app used by athletes to log and compare their performance on specific routes or "segments."

App questions cyclist's performance

According to reports from Brújula Bike, the Decathlon CMA CGM cyclist discovered that eight of his performances on segments had been excluded from the rankings due to speeds considered abnormally high by Strava's automatic system. The system is designed to detect activities potentially carried out with motorized assistance or containing GPS errors.

Cyclist's performance is praised

The decision does not question his victory but highlights the magnitude of his performance. Seixas's performance during the race was particularly impressive, with one segment standing out for its difficulty and his speed.

Record-breaking climb

During the ascent of Civiglio, a 4.1-kilometer climb with an average gradient of nearly 10 percent, Seixas achieved an average power of 460 watts, completing the climb in 11 minutes and 54 seconds—38 seconds better than the time set by Tadej Pogačar in 2022. This performance underscores the exceptional effort and physical capability required to win such a challenging race.