At what age did you feel old? It’s rarely when you reach a specific birthday, but when you notice other people being much younger than you. Just the other day, I got on a bus where the driver looked barely out of school, let alone allowed to operate his vehicle. People aren’t getting younger, we’re getting older.
I turned 30 last year, but that on its own hasn’t made me feel ancient; no, I’m still full of joie de vivre and youthful exuberance. What has made me feel old, however, is the age of riders winning bike races. I’d just got used to Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogačar, even Isaac del Toro being successful barely into their 20s, when the next group of young riders have rolled off the production line, and are mixing with the best.
News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com – should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.
It was coincidence that both Matthew Brennan (20) and Paul Seixas (19) won on the same weekend, at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and the Faun-Ardèche Classic respectively, but also emblematic that the future is now. These aren’t talents to incubate or to expect big things from in years to come, but to watch, to mark immediately.
There have been 81 editions of Kuurne, and 80 of them have been won by riders older than Brennan. It’s not the biggest event, but a run-through of winners in the last few years is a who’s who of some of cycling’s biggest names: Wout van Aert, Jasper Philipsen, Mads Pedersen. Add Brennan to that list.
He has not come from nowhere; he won 12 pro races last year, has won five times at WorldTour level already, and was Cycling Weekly’s male rider of the year for 2025, but this is proof Brennan can mix it in the Classics. While there’s no need for undue pressure on someone in his second year as a pro, he seems able to handle most things thrown at him – how far are we away from a first-ever British male win at Paris-Roubaix? Why couldn’t he deliver at Milan-San Remo? Anything is possible.
If you think this hype around Brennan is too much, then you need to see what is being written about Seixas. The 19-year-old, surprisingly the second-youngest winner of Faun-Ardèche, is already the heir to Bernard Hinault, the best male French hope for the Tour de France. L’Équipe had him on their front page on Sunday, and are now building up expectations of a Tour debut this summer. The hype is justified, but it feels unsustainable.
First, Seixas will race Strade Bianche, a chance to compete against Pogačar. If the unbeatable is knocked off his perch, if the unthinkable happens, then I cannot imagine how out-of-control the fever of Seixas-mania will be. Perhaps he is better off not winning, if he has the choice. He’s only 19.
There is nothing new about young riders delivering in cycling, of course, it’s something we’ve grown used to in the last decade – Evenepoel won the Clásica San Sebastián at 19, Pogačar the Tour de France at 21 – but we should not grow accustomed to it. It remains incredible for young riders to beat experience, for cycling’s traditions to be upturned.
These are also real people, who need to be treated with care. Seixas apparently has his own press officer at Decathlon, and I hope that there are support networks in place to protect him and Brennan, to help them develop at their own pace. The risk of burnout is real, and with success comes pressure.
Ultimately, though, the pair make me feel old. That’s the passing of time for you, and it’s thrilling to watch the future happen, now. We’re still in the era of Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel for now, but that will pass. Will it be the era of Seixas and Brennan next?
This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
Explore More
