Decathlon CMA CGM's teenage sensation Paul Seixas is simply operating on another level right now. The 19-year-old Frenchman captured his third stage victory of the week, surviving a brutal queen stage and out-sprinting Florian Lipowitz in Eibar to extend his overall lead.
"That was a hard stage. I said this morning that I wanted to maybe win it and today my teammates did a great job," Seixas said.
"I tried to go all out in the climb, I was struggling a bit," he added.
"Then I felt the legs coming back after the downhill. With Florian we rode well until the finish. Today was a close battle and chapeau to everyone."
Stage 5 was billed as the queen stage of the race, and it absolutely delivered the promised fireworks. The relentless route featured 3,841 meters of elevation gain spread across eight categorized climbs starting and finishing in Eibar.
The real general classification battle ignited on the fearsome Krabelin climb, which boasts gradients of 9.6 percent over five kilometers. Florian Lipowitz decided to shake the tree with a sharp attack, but race leader Paul Seixas was incredibly alert and immediately marked the move. Meanwhile, further up the road, Marc Soler finally managed to break away from the remnants of the early escape group, with Ben Healy giving chase.
Everything exploded on the Alto de Izua. On the punishing 4.4-kilometer climb averaging nearly 10 percent, Seixas completely unchained his power. He blew past Soler and Healy, leaving them in the dust. Only Lipowitz possessed the legs to bite into the Frenchman's wheel and hold on.
Just before the summit, with 29 kilometers remaining, Javier Romo managed to bridge across to the leading duo. However, disaster struck almost immediately as Romo clipped Lipowitz's rear wheel and crashed. Behind them, Primoz Roglic was putting in a gritty chase, following just seconds behind the leaders.
On the run-in to the finish, Seixas proved to be the ultimate engine. The teenager did the lion's share of the pacing while Lipowitz rode more conservatively, taking pulls only sparingly.
Entering the uphill final kilometer, Lipowitz tried to ambush the young Frenchman with a blistering late attack. But Seixas was absolutely unbreakable. He matched the German's acceleration and powered past him in the final meters to secure his third stage victory of this year's race, firmly cementing his grip on the yellow jersey.
Despite his commanding advantage, Seixas remained cautious about the final stage.
"Maybe I have the legs to win but tomorrow is another day and I have to stay focused," he said.
"Nothing is done for the moment. The other riders are great opponents and they will still attack."
The final stage on Saturday will cover 135.4 kilometers from Antzuola to Bergara and includes six climbs.