Without the French national time trial jersey for the past three years, Rémi Cavagna put an end to that unusual drought on Thursday, and he did so in style. On the rolling course around La Tour-du-Pin, the Auvergne rider was clearly in a class of his own during the French National Time Trial Championships. He indeed led at every intermediate checkpoint before posting the fastest time at the finish, nearly fifty seconds ahead of Bruno Armirail. A convincing victory, further confirming his return to the highest level. After battling for second place throughout most of the race, Ewen Costiou ultimately secured a fine bronze medal, while Maxime Decomble (4th) and Thibaud Gruel (6th) capped a superb day for Groupama-FDJ United.
Expected to be contested in extreme heat, the 2026 French National Championships got underway on Thursday in La Tour-du-Pin. As usual, the first blue-white-red jersey was awarded in the individual time trial. After finishing just off the podium in the last two editions, Rémi Cavagna came with a point to prove and the ambition of returning to the top step, despite the presence of defending champion Bruno Armirail and a somewhat disrupted preparation. “We didn’t come into the race full of confidence after his abandon and heatstroke at the Tour de Suisse,” explained his coach, Joseph Berlin-Sémon. “The plan was to assess his condition and gain confidence in the time trial there, but the opposite happened. We had some doubts, but in the end he was able to return home, rest, recharge, and work well at the start of the week. He got back on track, and Monday’s training reassured us. The only remaining question mark was how he would handle the heat on race day.” “Heat is a bit of an enemy for me,” confirmed Rémi. “These are conditions I don’t particularly enjoy. I even briefly considered not racing because of it, but I refocused and reminded myself that I had to be here given the form I’d shown since the start of the season.”
“It’s a relief” – Rémi Cavagna
The Clermont-Ferrand native was indeed on the start line in Aoste on Thursday for the 30-kilometre rolling course, featuring around 400 metres of elevation gain. Managing the heat was therefore a major focus. “We had to handle the warm-up carefully to avoid overheating and keep his body temperature as low as possible before the start,” said Joseph. “The staff did a tremendous job in that regard, and there were several feeding points along the course. The final key element was pacing. The idea was really to stay out of the red zone, manage the effort properly, and maintain the most even pacing possible.” Starting second-to-last, Cavagna executed the plan perfectly. “I didn’t start too fast, but I felt really good from the beginning,” he explained. “I was pushing well on the pedals and genuinely enjoying myself.” That proved more than enough to show his dominance in the race immediately. After 8.5 kilometres, he was six seconds ahead of teammate Ewen Costiou and twenty seconds clear of Bruno Armirail. At the halfway point, his advantage had grown to twenty-two seconds over the Breton rider and nearly thirty-five seconds over the Visma–Lease a Bike competitor. “I could see right away that he was on pace and had the legs to fight for the title,” said Joseph. “Nothing was moving, either on the flat sections or on the climbs. The climbs were relatively fast, allowing him to stay in his time-trial position throughout.”
In the second half of the course, the trend never changed. The French powerhouse continued to extend his advantage over his rivals. “I was in control throughout the entire time trial,” he said. “The effort was very consistent, exactly how I wanted it. It’s the same approach I’ve had since the beginning of the season. That’s very satisfying.” The rider from Auvergne avoided any late-race suspense and pressure. With five kilometres remaining, he held a 47-second advantage over Armirail, who had moved into provisional second place. “Joseph really motivated me and before the final descent he told me I had a bit of an advantage and could start enjoying it,” recalled Rémi. “It’s a great feeling to know you’re going to win while there’s still a rider behind you. I was able to enjoy those final two or three kilometres.” At the finish, Cavagna crossed the line 1 minute and 4 seconds faster than Ewen Costiou, who had been the provisional leader, while his main rival Armirail eventually finished 49 seconds behind. Cavagna could then officially celebrate his third national time trial title and his first in Groupama-FDJ United colours. “It’s a relief because it had been a long time since I’d worn this jersey,” he said. “It’s very satisfying, and it’s always special to wear the national champion’s jersey in a discipline that I love. It also continues the momentum of what has been a strong start to the season in time trials for me. I know that when I’m performing well against the clock, I’m mentally in a better place too.”
“A very strong time-trial squad” – Joseph Berlin-Sémon
The victory also validates Cavagna’s return to the forefront, a year and a half after joining the team. “We had a two-year plan,” Joseph explained. “The first year was about rebuilding and getting back on track. This second year was about returning to his best level and delivering on key objectives. After the UAE Tour time trial, the Giro time trial, and now the French Championship time trial, Rémi has achieved all three goals. He’s very happy, and so are we. It’s a tremendous reward both for the team, which hadn’t won the national time trial title for several years, and for Rémi, who had made this jersey his major target.” “I’m really happy for Rémi,” added Ewen Costiou. “He deserves it. He hasn’t had much luck recently, so this is a great reward for both him and the team.” Ewen Costiou himself secured the bronze medal after spending much of the day fighting for silver: “I faded a little over the final ten kilometres, probably because of the heat, but I had good legs and felt strong on the climbs. Overall, it was still a very good time trial. When I found out I’d missed second place by fifteen seconds, I was obviously a little disappointed, but I have no regrets. It’s my first medal at a national championship and I’m really happy.”
Groupama-FDJ United’s collective performance extended well beyond the podium, with Maxime Decomble finishing fourth and Thibaud Gruel sixth. “We have a very strong time-trial squad again,” said Joseph. “That’s no coincidence and it reflects all the investment made over the past few years. We have a talented group that is performing well, in great shape, and had prepared perfectly for this event. It’s excellent for the team.” The hunt for French national jerseys is now off to the perfect start. “Rémi has shown the way, now it’s up to the others on Sunday,” Joseph smiled. The day’s winner concluded: “We’ll try to win the jersey in the road race as well, and we absolutely need to bring it back to the team! We have the resources to achieve great things, and I hope to enjoy myself out there. In any case, it feels great to finish the first half of the season with this title before attacking the second half with some exciting goals.”
