The 2025 Giro d’Italia came to a close this Sunday in the Italian capital, and Enzo Paleni didn’t miss the opportunity to make one last breakaway. On the offensive on the final circuit, the rider from Beauvais showed great resilience despite constant pressure from the bunch. He was ultimately one of the last two men standing, before surrendering seven kilometres from the finish. Olav Kooij won the stage, Simon Yates took the overall. The Groupama-FDJ cycling team concluded this first Grand Tour of the season without the expected results, despite a constant commitment.
Only 143 kilometres remained to be covered this Sunday to complete the 108th Giro in history. From Rome, the riders first had a small trip towards the coast before returning to the Eternal City to complete a series of laps. After an initial stop in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, the peloton experienced a very calm start to the day, before attacks erupted entering the first of eight laps, just over 80 kilometres from the finish. After a few minutes of fighting, six men managed to escape, including Enzo Paleni. “It was the last day, so we had to empty the engine,” he smiled. “The goal was to enjoy the day up front in this magical place,” added Stéphane Goubert. “However, it wasn’t simple as the average speed was 50km/h on the local circuit. Enzo went with a nice group, both in terms of numbers and composition. The gap increased to 30 seconds, and something was possible with guys like Josef Cerny at the front.” The peloton, however, remained very careful and immediately led the chase behind the six riders.
“I wanted to give it my all today,” Enzo Paleni
For nearly an hour, the fugitives held a lead of about twenty seconds. “The Redbull sprint at twenty-five kilometres put the mess in the breakaway a bit, and they lost more than ten seconds at that point,” added Stéphane. “It’s a real shame because they could have fought a little longer.” “We worked well together at the start, but we had to accelerate at one point, and a few riders got stuck,” added Enzo. With twenty kilometres to go, the lead group was reduced to five men, and shortly before the final lap, there were only two left in the lead: Josef Cerny and Enzo Paleni. The duo pushed on with the peloton just behind, started the final lap at the front, but the Frenchman reached his limits with eight kilometres to go. “We knew it would be hard to stay away because there’s a lot at stake in this stage in Rome, but we had fun,” said Enzo. “I’m finishing this Giro a bit hungry for more because I had much higher ambitions, and I wanted to give it my all today to fight for victory. It didn’t work out, but I surely gained experience for future years.”
“They showed perfect mindset,” Stéphane Goubert
Olav Kooij eventually won the sprint. Clément Davy secured eighteenth place on the day, and this was the end of a frustrating Giro for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team. “We came with GC hopes for David, we had a united group around a leader, and we first showed that we were motivated for that,” said Rémy Rochas. “Then, it may have been difficult to race differently, to look for personal opportunities, but we all managed to do it individually, and sometimes together. That’s a good thing to remember. There’s no victory in the end, but it will come if we continue like that.” “The end of David’s ambitions in the general classification led us to refocus on other goals, and the whole group had to change its mindset because as it was more used to surrounding a leader,” added Stéphane. “They all managed to switch to the new approach, and they showed perfect mindset throughout the last two weeks of racing. That said, the goal has not been met in terms of results, and we must be aware of that. It’s a Giro that should bring lessons, both physical and mental, and must serve to progress for future goals.”
