Rémi Cavagna secures third in Giro d’Italia time trial, credits course for true specialists

Filippo Ganna dominated Tuesday’s time trial at the Giro d’Italia, but Rémi Cavagna still claimed a spot on the podium, finishing third. The strong rider from Groupama-FDJ United started early, watched Ganna set a commanding time, yet still enjoyed the effort and praised the race organizers.

Max Walscheid, riding for Lidl-Trek, posted the initial benchmark, followed by Sjoerd Bax as the penultimate rider on the hot seat. Then Ganna set an unmatchable time, holding the top spot all afternoon. Shortly after, Cavagna finished with what was, at the moment, the second-best time.

Was he immediately satisfied? “Not with the gaps,” he told Eurosport. “We still had to wait and see what the other riders would do, but it was clear Filippo was the favorite, especially here in Italy,” he said, predicting the Italian’s victory hours before the finish. “It was a course that suited him perfectly, where you could really give it everything.”

The Frenchman was nevertheless pleased with his performance. “I faded a little in the last 10 kilometers, but overall I was strong throughout. I knew my ride wouldn’t be for the win, but I still gave everything.”

Despite the long course, Cavagna felt at home. “I’ve always performed slightly less in time trials over 30 kilometers. Something just over that is usually ideal, but 40 kilometers… I’m not going to complain. It was a great course with no surprises, and it was truly designed for specialists.”

He was particularly grateful for that. “Nowadays, grand tour time trials always include climbs, which makes them less suited for pure specialists. Today was a proper specialist course, so I’m very happy to have taken part,” he said, thanking the Giro d’Italia organizers.

“I’m quite satisfied with my result, but we’ll see how it all turns out,” added Cavagna, who ultimately secured third place. “It’s important to deliver a result, especially for the team. The Giro started a bit tricky for us, but it turned out well in the end.”