It had been nearly four years since Rémi Cavagna had last experienced the thrill of a podium finish in a Grand Tour. This Tuesday, during a long individual time trial on the roads of the Giro, the French rider put an end to that streak by taking an outstanding third place in Massa, beaten only by Filippo Ganna and Thymen Arensman. It marked his second WorldTour podium of the season and a major result for Groupama-FDJ United in the 2026 Corsa Rosa. The perfect way to launch the second half of the race.
No climbs, very few corners, and a long seaside straight: the only individual time trial of the 2026 Giro d’Italia was always going to be a pure power test between the peloton’s best specialists, covering 42 kilometres from Viareggio to Massa. “It was a beautiful time trial, and for once it was really designed for the pure specialists,” smiled Rémi Cavagna. “It was clearly a course that suited Rémi well,” added Joseph Berlin-Sémon, coach of the former French champion. “It’s an effort he enjoys and masters. There were very few changes of pace and almost no technical sections, so it was all about managing the effort over those 42 kilometers. You had to be able to sustain a high power output and a steady speed from start to finish.” Naturally, Rémi Cavagna was Groupama-FDJ United’s main hope on Tuesday, and his start came just under ten minutes after stage favorite Filippo Ganna. At exactly 2:31 p.m., the French time trial specialist rolled down the start ramp, and after 16.5 kilometres, the first intermediate checkpoint already gave encouraging signs. Although he trailed the Italian by 41 seconds, he moved into second place ahead of all the other podium contenders.
“I’m very satisfied” – Rémi Cavagna
The trend was confirmed at the second intermediate checkpoint, at kilometre 28.5, where the Clermont-Ferrand native still held second place, just over a minute behind Ganna. Fourteen kilometres were left to cover, and the Groupama-FDJ United rider fought hard to maintain a slim advantage over Sjoerd Bax, who was provisionally second at the time. “The last ten kilometres felt very long,” he admitted. “I faded ever so slightly, but I was still maintaining my pace. From the information I was getting through the radio, I knew I was fighting for second place, so I gave absolutely everything.” At the finish, he indeed posted the second-fastest time, 1’59 behind Filippo Ganna, while most of the pure specialists had already completed the course. He then had to wait two hours to discover his final placing, and ultimately only Thymen Arensman managed to edge him out during the latter part of the afternoon, by just five seconds. “I was slowed down while overtaking vehicles during the race, and second place was probably decided there,” added Rémi. “That’s the only small frustration of the day. Apart from that, I’m very satisfied. This time trial had been a target for me for several months, and I was clearly aiming for the podium. The objective has been achieved. I’m happy with my performance; it shows that my legs are good, and it’s going to give the team a boost.”
With this impressive third place, Rémi Cavagna secured his second WorldTour podium of the season after his result at the UAE Tour. “When he joined last year, we gave ourselves a year to rebuild,” explained Joseph. “This season, the goal was really to step up and confirm his level. He first showed that at the UAE Tour, then we could see that training was going well, and today he confirmed it again with a podium at the Giro. More time trials are coming later in the season, and we have to keep going like this. He has reached a new physical level, and we hope he can take another step forward. In the short term, it also opens up possibilities for the rest of the Giro. He built form throughout the first week, he’s in good shape, and we’ll see what the next two weeks have in store for us.”“We get along really well within the team, and the atmosphere is fantastic,” concluded Rémi. “We still haven’t achieved the results we were hoping for on the road stages, but we’re getting closer. I feel like we’re improving over time, and we have high hopes for the rest of this Giro.”
