The French team Groupama-FDJ United is banking everything on partial victories at the Giro d'Italia 2026 by fielding a lineup built around the sprint prowess of Paul Penhoët and leaving the door wide open for breakaway attempts by the rest of the squad. With experienced Rémi Cavagna tasked with delivering a strong performance in the only time trial of the Corsa Rosa, attention is also focused on young Frenchman Brieuc Rolland, who could make his mark in the more demanding stages.

No leader, plenty of attackers

It now seems to be a well-established trend for the Giro d'Italia 2026 just around the corner: teams without a true general classification leader, instead focused on partial victories. This is also the case for Groupama-FDJ United, which will arrive in Bulgaria with eight riders with no ambitions for the overall standings, but plenty of desire for stage placings and hopes for a big breakthrough. The best chances should come thanks to sprinter Paul Penhoët, who this year has collected a second-place finish at the Vuelta a Andalucía and who last year achieved three top-ten finishes at the Tour de France on his debut: it won't be easy competing against the likes of Milan, Andresen, Magnier and Groenewegen, but opportunities will be plentiful. Here are the eight announced riders:

- Cyril Barthe,

- Rémi Cavagna,

- Axel Huens,

- Johan Jacobs,

- Josh Kench,

- Paul Penhoët,

- Rémy Rochas,

- Brieuc Rolland.

Six will be French, one Swiss and one New Zealander. Half of the selected riders are under 25.

Rolland and Cavagna expected to deliver

The second name in the spotlight is Brieuc Rolland, the 22-year-old who last year collected two excellent third-place stage finishes at the Vuelta a España and who before turning professional won the Piccolo Lombardia in 2024. It's reasonable to expect breakaway attempts from far out in the more demanding stages, just as it's natural to predict an all-out time trial effort from experienced Rémi Cavagna, who however in recent years has struggled against the clock where just a few seasons ago he was almost guaranteed a top-10 or even top-5 finish. Among the other names, the one who seems to be in the best form is Frenchman Axel Huens, who has achieved three top-10 finishes this year, the latest with a seventh-place finish at the Grand Prix de Denain - Porte du Hainaut.