If there's one thing Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quickstep) is good at, it's attack racing, and the Frenchman once again delivered in the opening stage of the Tour of Guangxi in the North Sea.

Cavagna, who finished fourth in this race in 2018, was undeterred by the almost pan-flat nature of the circuit around the coastal city, jumping out of the peloton 30km from the line after the first break was caught.

The attempt was a trademark of Cavagna's on a day when Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates), along with Bora-Hansgrohe's Michal Schwarzmann, won the group sprint with little chance of continuing the breakaway.

"I tried because it was a flat stage and an easy stage. But I was sure the finale would be a sprint," Cavagna told Cycling News after the finish.

"I rode with Davide Martinelli today and we worked hard. It's the last race of the season. Last year I did well in this race.

Cavagna has won two stages this season, the Tour of California and the Vuelta a España, with long solo attacks of 75km and 25km respectively. In the Vuelta, he raced aggressively day after day, including breakaways, breakaways, and late attacks.

It was no surprise when this 24-year-old jumped out from the front in the North Sea. And in the last World Tour race of the year, there was no reason not to keep him challenged.

"Maybe tomorrow [I'll try], but stage 3 is different from last year, so I'll try there. But we need to focus on stage four."

"But we need to focus on stage four. But we need to focus on the fourth stage. In that stage, I want to do my best and get good seconds so that I can do well in GC."

Stage 4 will finish with a 3-km climb to the Masan Nongla scenic area north of Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Tim Wellens and Gianni Moscon combined to win this stage for the overall victory. Guangxi is not the most prestigious Palmare, but success here is a testament to Cavagna's talent and will to win.

"Every year I progress a few steps," he said. I want to win a lot and help my team become the best in the world. So I'm really motivated to do it again next year."

Next year, at least, Cavagna will need to step it up a notch if he is to continue his progress; his goals for 2020 are as high as he can go as a rider.

"I want to try the classics like the Tour de Flanders and races like this. The Tour de France is important for a Frenchman like me. There are stages that start near my house, there are stages that start in front of my house."

"I'd like to be able to ride the Tour de Flanders," he said.

Before turning our attention to 2020, we must think about the five remaining stages in Guangxi. With only 836 km left to race this season, Remi Cavagna still has a lot left to do.