Key points:
Paul Seixas brought the 2026 cycling season to a winning close at the 12th Tour de France J:COM Saitama Criterium, defeating Brandon McNulty in a thrilling finale. The Frenchman made his decisive move on the last of the 17 laps, overpowering the reigning world champion in a head-to-head duel. It was a fitting conclusion to an outstanding season in which he notably finished fourth overall at the Tour de France and claimed victory at Il Lombardia.
The podium was completed by Torstein Træen, the Norwegian rider of Japanese descent who wore the Yellow Jersey for two days on the roads of France last July.
The Japanese event also provided Michael Matthews with a memorable success. After beginning the year with a serious training accident, the Australian sprint specialist targeted the intermediate sprints and secured victory in the points classification. His Jayco-AlUla teammate Mauro Schmid was equally aggressive, just as he had been on his stage-winning ride to Belfort during the Tour de France, and was rewarded with the combativity award.
Valentin Paret-Peintre, winner of the Mont Ventoux stage in 2025, collected the points available in the climbing competition and claimed the mountains classification that had eluded him during this year’s Tour de France.
ATTACKS FROM ALL SIDES
The stars of the peloton lived up to expectations. As the day went on, the streets of Saitama steadily filled with cycling fans, with the colours of the Tour de France proudly displayed on T-shirts, caps and hand-made signs celebrating their favourite riders. Before the professionals took centre stage, amateur cyclists and para-cyclists tackled the course in an individual time trial. Then it was the elite riders’ turn. The seven international teams, joined by an equal number of local squads, contested a team time trial in which Japan’s Kinan Racing Team excelled to take victory. The main race that followed got underway at a blistering pace from the opening laps. “The speed was really high. The local riders had decided to go full gas,” Paul Seixas said afterwards. Attacks came thick and fast, forcing Valentin Paret-Peintre to stay alert and follow the key moves as he chased points for the mountains classification. Meanwhile, Michael Matthews made it a priority to lead each of the four intermediate sprints and secure the points classification, receiving valuable support from his Jayco-AlUla teammate Mauro Schmid, one of the most active riders of the day and a deserved winner of the combativity award. In the closing stages, Paul Seixas responded to an attack from world champion Brandon McNulty before launching his own decisive move and pulling clear to win comfortably at the finish. The podium was completed by Torstein Træen, who spent two days in the Yellow Jersey during this summer’s Tour de France
SEIXAS: “I FINISHED IT OFF LIKE A TIME TRIAL, JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT”
Who better than the day’s winner to recount how the race unfolded? Just minutes after taking victory, Paul Seixas was already reliving the decisive moments: “With three laps to go, I followed an attack and the four of us got away: Torstein Træen, Oscar Onley, Brandon McNulty and myself. We worked well together for about a lap, then Brandon launched a really strong attack. I tried to follow him, but I quickly realized I was the only one chasing. So I gave everything to get back, and with one lap remaining I found the right place to counter-attack. Then I finished it off like a time trial, just the way I like it.” He makes it sound almost simple. Much like everything the young French rider seems to touch these days. A born competitor, Seixas has thrown himself into every activity since arriving in Asia. From summer asphalt luge and karting to karaoke, he approaches everything with the same intensity. “I’m happy to finish the season this way. It’s been great discovering a new country and racing in Japan. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to explore this part of the world, and we’ve had some really good times here.” Now it is finally time to switch off, at least briefly, before turning his attention to next season. “I’ll be back training as early as next week, but first I’m going to enjoy a few days of rest at home, get everything back in order, and then start off on the right path again.”
A.S.O./Yuzuru Sunada
MATTHEWS IN GREEN AND GOLD: A POWERFUL SYMBOL
Everything had started so badly back in March, when a collision with a truck on his training roads sent Michael Matthews to hospital, only for him to emerge with both arms in casts. Goodbye Milano-Sanremo, the race that had become his trademark, where he had recorded seven Top 10 finishes, including three podiums. But the Jayco-AlUla rider still had other goals in mind. “I hit a really low point mentally. When I got injured, I even thought about quitting cycling,” Matthews admits. “But I held on to the idea of coming back and performing well at the Tour de France. I was there at the start, and while I wasn’t quite in a position to win a stage, I was still completely satisfied with my level of performance.” The reward for his perseverance would come later in the season, at the World Championships and then in Canada, another venue close to his heart, where he finished on the podium for the fourth time. “On a course I knew like the back of my hand, I immediately felt that I was in great shape and capable of fighting for the title. I finished second, but in the end it still feels like an achievement.” After such an unexpected comeback, it was time for a touch of extravagance. “It’s like when I was younger and used to do all sorts of crazy things with my hair,” he laughed. Making his first appearance in Saitama, Matthews arrived with freshly dyed blond hair and immediately set his sights on the intermediate sprint competition during the Criterium. “It’s a powerful symbol to be wearing the green jersey again, the same one I won at the Tour de France in 2017,” said the four-time Tour stage winner after completing his mission on the streets of Saitama. “And with my blond hair as well, I’m perfectly dressed in Australia’s colours up here on the podium.”
