CyclistOpinion: Paul Seixas is being far too harsh on himselfWhat I did today is a disgrace, Paul Seixas said after riding to 15th place in the elite mens road race at the World Championships. The young Frenchmans interview with Eurosport began on a sour note and youd be forgiven for catastrophising from his words had you not witnessed the races final few kilometres.Cramping up like that, its a rookie mistake, he continued, Ive never cramped up in my life on a bike, today I must have made a mistake somewhere. Im extremely disappointed, not only for myself because its what I deserve, but for all of France, for the whole team. They did an incredible job, they dont deserve a leader like me.Possessing a winners mentality is one thing, however there is a fine line where this can tip into unhealthy territory. Seixas only left his teen years behind a handful of days ago yet hes already carrying the heavy weight of a nation on his shoulders. Not many 20-year-olds can say that.For his career to be as long and successful as he no doubt desires, its important for the psychologists and psychiatrist employed by the Decathlon CMA CGM squad to work on challenging this mindset not that it isnt a work already in progress and thats not to say he hasnt already returned from the post-race high in which many a soundbite is taken back in retrospect.His self-flagellating reaction nonetheless really stuck out to me. Cramping may not be a concept Seixas had experienced on a bike prior to his participation in Montral, yet its a fate that has befallen many a pro throughout history and will continue to hit at the most inopportune of moments. It unfortunately pairs with athletes like bread and butter, albeit not in as enjoyable a combination. His emotions are no doubt exacerbated by the fact the French team, notably Bruno Armirail, had been incredibly active in the race to splinter the field, presumably to set him up for success at the end. At least with cramp as an excuse, its likely something he can pinpoint the cause of and use as a learning experience to improve in the future.Seixas meteoric rise to this point has been nothing short of remarkable. Already a World Champion from the junior ranks in the time-trial, he joined the WorldTour as its youngest rider in 2025 and has experienced a breakthrough season in 2026: second to Tadej Pogaar of all people in Strade Bianche and Lige-Bastogne-Lige, winner of La Flche Wallonne and fourth overall on debut at the Tour de France.Naturally, this is a man aiming for the highest of highs and clearly he has a mindset to match. An estimation of his trajectory only points towards future success in abundance given his achievements so far but then these expectations are likely one of the contributing factors to his harsh self-assessment in the first place.With the main favourite (and defending champion) Pogaar out of the running for rainbows, Seixas name was on many a contender list heading into the event. But its easy to forget this was only his second World Championships in the elite field having bypassed the U23 ranks altogether. Again, this is a man only 20 years of age. Better to get the learning experiences out the way now no matter how much they hurt.For more on the UCI World Championships, visit our hub page.The post Opinion: Paul Seixas is being far too harsh on himself appeared first on Cyclist.