436 watts for 47 minutes - Visma rider puts out 'personal best' but fails to break into World Championships Top25
CyclingMonday, 21 September 2026 at 16:48
Bruno Armirail is one of France's top time trialists, but was dumbfounded when learning about his result at the time trial World Championships. Despite putting out potentially career-best watts, he was far from even contesting a place in the Top10.
The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider is not new to the game, having been part of the World Tour since 2018, and having been a quality for time trialist for as many years. The 32-year old is a three-time French national time trial champion, all of which in recent years.
Since joining Visma this year, he's helped the team to TTT victories at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Tour de France; whilst placing second at the French time trial nationals only behind Rémi Cavagna.
Hence, for many it was a surprise to see Armirail finish only 26th in Montréal. But that was not the fruit of a bad day on the bike. Armirail was in fact shocked to learn of the result, taking into consideration how he reported feeling very good.
Bruno Armirail was only 26th at the Montréal time trial world championships
Material problems for the Visma rider?
“There might have been an issue regarding aerodynamics, we don’t race in the suits from our trade teams," Armirail said in an interview with L'Équipe; but he aknowledged that this was not likely the culprit behind the poor result.
"But then again, Paul Seixas achieved a strong result wearing the same suit as me. I’m going to talk to him about it. I want to discuss his power numbers and his approach. We also know that certain suits are faster for some riders than for others. I’m going to analyze all of that soon".
436 watts for 47 minutes
The Frenchman finished between South African Byron Munton and German Max Walscheid. Whilst the field had a lot of quality and depth, the result for Armirail was a surprise, specially taking into consideration his own feedback.
“In terms of how I felt and the power output I was able to produce, I felt really good. I averaged 436 watts over 47 minutes," he reveals. "I think that’s a personal best for me".
"I had an incredibly strong day, so I have absolutely no idea how to explain this. I thought I’d be in the top five at the first intermediate check, but then I suddenly saw I had the 26th fastest time. I wondered if there was a mistake with the timing.”
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Upon a quick analysis there were no clear answers for the veteran. An error with the aerodynamics material from either the skinsuit or the bike was possible; a power meter glitch could be the reason; or it would've otherwise been the technical course which caused the Frenchman difficulties.
“I don’t understand it at all," he admitted, having posted his activity on Strava for fans to look at. "I keep all my data public on Strava so that others can look at it and analyze it.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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