Only two riders were able to beat Rémi Cavagna this Tuesday in the individual time trial that served as Stage 2 of the UAE Tour. Producing an outstanding performance over the 12.2-kilometre course, the French rouleur conceded just twelve seconds to Olympic and World Champion Remco Evenepoel, and six seconds to Joshua Tarling. The rider from Auvergne thus claimed his first WorldTour podium since 2023, in his specialty discipline. David Gaudu also managed to limit his losses, conceding less than one minute to the stage winner.
As the time trial took place at the very start of the race, the usual reverse general classification order did not apply for the starting sequence today. Each team was free to decide its riders’ start times, and the choice proved perfectly clear for Groupama-FDJ United. “The first thing to consider was the wind,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “We had seen that it was expected to pick up later in the day, so the goal was to put our time-trial specialist first, meaning Rémi, and then our leader, David. It also suited us in terms of recovery ahead of Wednesday’s tough stage. We noticed that almost all the teams followed the same approach.” The first rider from the team to roll down the start ramp, Rémi Cavagna was even the very first rider in the peloton to tackle the 12.2-kilometre course. “The time trial was taking place on wide, completely flat roads — a real power course for specialists,” said team coach David Han. “There was nothing specific to manage regarding the profile, but there was regarding the wind, which was a front one at the start and more favorable in the second part.”
“It’s a top-level result” – David Han
Starting first, Rémi Cavagna logically set the first best time at the intermediate split (6:33) and at the finish (13:15). However, it was only when Evenepoel crossed the line five minutes later that the full scale of the Frenchman’s performance became clear. The Olympic champion was just nine seconds faster at the intermediate check and twelve seconds quicker at the finish, pointing toward a very high-quality result for Rémi Cavagna. “Joseph [Berlin-Semon], Rémi’s coach, had targeted a slightly higher power zone in the first part,” David explained. “I found him well-positioned on the bike, very stable, he never lost his form,” added Stéphane, who followed him from the team car. “You can see that the strength work he did this winter has paid off — that was where he had struggled a bit previously.” Cavagna himself could not hide his satisfaction, even after being pushed down to provisional third place following Tarling’s finish. “On a course like this, with perfect roads and not too many corners, you can go very fast — and that’s also why I ride,” he smiled. “You had to push a big gear today, and I managed to hold it all the way to the line. I’m happy to finish quite close to the world reference in the time trial.”
More importantly, none of the other specialists starting during the first hour managed to come close to Cavagna’s time, which consolidated his third place before the final hundred riders — theoretically less threatening — took the course. In the end, as expected, no one was able to change the standings, and the podium remained unchanged. Rémi Cavagna secured third place, his best WorldTour result since 2023. “It’s significant because it was purely down to the legs,” David said. “It should give him great confidence moving forward. Last year was a rebuilding season — we were aware of that — after a difficult 2024 campaign. He rode the Vuelta, he coped with that season well, I think he had a calm winter, and 2026 is starting very well. Beyond the result itself, if you look at the times, there’s a clear gap between him and fourth place. Evenepoel and Tarling are perhaps the two best specialists in the world, and he’s right behind them.” “It was my first real test this year. Everyone knows I love this discipline, and it feels good to be back close to the top positions,” Rémi added.
“More than decent” – David Gaudu
In addition to its second WorldTour podium of the season (after Lewis Bower’s at the Tour Down Under), Groupama-FDJ United also took real satisfaction from David Gaudu’s performance, as he finished 44th in the time trial. “I’m happy because the time trial isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, but the sensations were good today,” said the Breton rider. “It was the first real effort in race conditions and the finishing time is solid. Losing 56 seconds to Remco over a 13-minute effort is more than decent.”“We expected to lose a bit more than a minute to Remco,” Stéphane admitted. “We’re under that, which is very good. There are some climbers ahead of him, but also a few behind.” The French leader therefore remains well positioned ahead of the first summit finish. “It will be another test, on a new and very tough climb,” Stéphane concluded. “It’s long, with steep gradients, and he’ll have to manage the ascent well, both mentally and physically.”
