The 2025 Etoile de Bessèges ended this Sunday with the usual time trial finishing uphill, and Rémi Cavagna as well as Kevin Geniets secured their first podium of the season. The French TT specialist took second place on the stage, after being in the hot-seat for some time, while the Luxembourger secured the final podium in third position. Maxime Decomble also stood out by setting the fifth time of the day. A great way to end an eventful week.
There were no surprises for the riders still in the running on the Etoile de Bessèges this Sunday. Just like the previous years, the time trial up the L’Hermitage climb, on the heights of Alès, served as the closing stage with 10,6 kilometres including the last 1,800 metres at 7%. “The weather conditions were also quite good, it was nothing like the last few days,” added Frédéric Guesdon. “It didn’t rain, the temperatures were very nice, and there wasn’t too much wind either.” Olivier Le Gac was the first Groupama-FDJ’s rider to tackle the course, shortly after 2 p.m. Starting around fifteen minutes later, Maxime Decomble made a bit of an impression by setting the best time in 15’32. However, he was only able to enjoy it for ten minutes, until his teammate Rémi Cavagna joined the line and beat him by six seconds. “After a blank year in 2024, I was keen to get back to my level in this discipline”, explained the “TGV of Clermont-Ferrand”. “It was a first test today, and let’s say that it was rather conclusive. Apart from the result, I wanted to have fun and feel good on the bike, and it’s on the right track”.
“It’s a first step”, Rémi Cavagna
Rémi Cavagna actually remained on the “hot seat” until the race leader himself, Kévin Vauquelin, reached the finish. Beaten by eighteen seconds, the French rouleur had to settle for second place on the day. “I lost a bit of time in the technical parts at the start of the course”, he said. “I like it more when it’s straight and rolling. The final was also a bit steep for me and my 78 kilos. I obviously lost a few seconds on the climb compared to Vauquelin, but it still shows that I did a decent time. It’s not exceptional, but it’s a first step.” “As a pure time trial specialist, Rémi obviously wanted to do well today, and he was fighting for the stage win,” added Frédéric. “He gave it his all, but he was unfortunately beaten by a Vauquelin in top form. We’re always disappointed to come second, but we couldn’t have done better.” Maxime Decomble, 19, also managed to hold his place in the day’s top-5. “It’s not bad at all,” claimed Frédéric. “He’s still young, so achieving such a performance on this kind of time trial is definitely promising”.
“All seven riders are ready”, Frédéric Guesdon
As for Kevin Geniets, he took eighth place in the stage, which proved enough to keep his third place overall. “It was a special edition of the Étoile de Bessèges, but I focused on doing the best possible time trial today,” said the Luxembourger. “The feelings were good, and I’m quite satisfied with my performance. It was a good week personally, but I hope to keep getting results in the upcoming races.” “The balance of this Étoile de Bessèges is positive,” added Frédéric. “The boys are in the mix, all seven riders are ready for the upcoming races. Despite the particular circumstances, they did their job 100% and it was important to race so as not to fall behind schedule. I hope it will pay off for them. We finished on a good note, both in terms of the weather and the results. The season is on, and we now hope to get a victory soon.” “We did a good job this week,” Rémi concluded. “We didn’t win a stage, which is a bit disappointing, but we were up there, present every day, and we enjoyed it.”
The newcomer will now head to the Tour of Algarve while Kevin Geniets will line up for the Classic Var and the Tour des Alpes Maritimes in two weeks.
