By just six seconds, Maxime Decomble missed out on ending his 2026 season with another podium finish, two weeks after claiming a bronze medal at the European Championships. Competing in the Chrono des Nations, the final race on the French cycling calendar, the 21-year-old once again demonstrated his progress. Over the 45-kilometre course at Les Herbiers, only Remco Evenepoel, Jay Vine and Stefan Küng finished ahead of him. Rémi Cavagna, who set off at a fast pace, secured sixth place.
A 45-kilometre circuit around Les Herbiers remained to be tackled on Sunday afternoon to bring the 2026 season to a close on French soil. The traditional Chrono des Nations thus served as the final event of the season, particularly for the time-trial specialists still willing to push themselves for just under an hour. “We were back on the usual 45-kilometre course, making it a fairly long time trial compared with the others we faced during the season,” explained Joseph Berlin-Sémon. “Rémi knew the route well, having already taken part in several editions, but it was Maxime’s first time competing here in the elite category. The race got straight down to business, with a three-kilometre hard section before the first undulating stretches. The course as a whole consists of sections where you have to keep pushing, false flats and slight descents where you need to be able to get some speed back. Then there was the climb at Mouchamps, after 34 kilometres, which marked the start of a fairly demanding final ten kilometres to the finish. As for the conditions, there was much less wind than during yesterday’s recon. However, it was still a headwind on the way back, making the final section even tougher.”
“Maxime had a strong finish” – Joseph Berlin-Sémon
With the French time-trial champion and the European Championships’ bronze medalist on the start line, Groupama-FDJ United had high ambitions on Sunday. “We knew first place would be difficult to achieve given Evenepoel’s presence, but despite the strong field, the podium looked within reach for our two specialists,” Joseph added. “That was confirmed on the road, as the times were very close at the various intermediate checkpoints.” Starting six minutes apart, Maxime Decomble and Rémi Cavagna initially took sixth and third place respectively at the first intermediate checkpoint, after ten kilometres. At the second checkpoint, located beyond the climb at Mouchamps, however, the gap between the two riders had narrowed, with Maxime in fifth and Rémi in fourth. “Rémi started at the pace we had planned, but he struggled a bit on the way back,” Joseph explained. “He lost his rhythm a little and gave away a lot of time over the final ten kilometres. Maxime, by contrast, had a strong finish, and the closing section may have suited him better because we know he can step up a gear when things get hard. Maxime really put in an excellent time trial for his first appearance here. Rémi fell a little short in the final section, but he rode a very strong first part of the course.”
At the finish, Maxime Decomble came really close to the podium, finishing just six seconds behind Stefan Küng in third place after clawing back 14 seconds over the closing kilometres. Rémi Cavagna, meanwhile, slipped to sixth, just five seconds outside the top five. “At this stage of the season, everyone is running a little low on energy, but Maxime showed some very encouraging form at the European Championships,” Joseph concluded. “Rémi had also tailored his preparation towards the time trial for the World and the European Mixed Relay Championships. Both riders arrived focused and motivated, and their preparation and approach were excellent. That being said, the results reflect each rider’s form on the day. There is some disappointment because we came here hoping to take a podium finish with one or the other, but we will be back next year with the same ambitions.”
