David Gaudu was a climber with a lot of potential in the early years of his career, putting in a lot of performance that briefly put him as France's biggest hope in the Grand Tours. Currently however the 29-year old is distant from his best level and from the results he's achieved in the past, something he is honest about and provides insight on.
Gaudu turned pro in 2017 and, as a pure climber, evolved well in the shadow of Thibaut Pinot to become the new leader of Groupama - FDJ. In 2020 he broke through, winning two stages at the Vuelta a España; and in 2021 he also showed his talent in the one-day races by finishing on the podium of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In 2022, he rode to a fourth place at the Tour de France, confirming his potential as a Grand Tour rider.
In 2023 he finished between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard at Paris-Nice, but his results began to fade the year after. Rather than losing his climbing ability, he just became less consistent, specially in the mountains. He found himself at La Vuelta where he finished sixth but his moments of good form became more sparce.
In 2025 he was almost absent the entire season, aside from a stage win at the Tour of Oman; and an uphill sprint finish at the Vuelta a España where he beat Mads Pedersen and Jonas Vingegaard. Glimpses of brilliancy, but one that is now rarely seen.
In 2026 it has been even more complicated, and at the Tour de Romandie he hasn't been able to make a comeback. “I didn’t feel good. It was tough. But I move on pretty quickly. I can forget a day like that,” Gaudu shared with DirectVelo after stage 1 of the Swiss race. “I’m struggling to get back to my best. I practically had a blank year last year. It doesn’t just come back like that".
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A new calendar to try and obtain results again
Gaudu showed brief positive signs at Paris-Nice, but they did not last. Three days deep into Romandie, he has dropped out of GC contention and was also not in contention for the only non-mountainous stage. "I lost a lot of time, and we know the peloton is evolving faster and faster. A gap has opened up between the peloton and me," he admits. "There were some good things this year, unfortunately, it’s not enough.”
Despite this, he knows patient is key, and he cannot enter a dark place because of his inconsistencies. “I’m in good spirits. You have to be patient, you wait, you work, you stay quiet, and you move forward. I’m really enjoying training; the feeling is good. I’m happy on my bike. But it’s the results that count, and unfortunately, I haven’t yet reached 100% fitness.”
“It’s part of a cyclist’s life. I’ve had several tough seasons in recent years. Each time, you fall behind and have to make up for lost time," he adds. "It will come back when it’s meant to. You have to keep believing and keep working. That’s how you’ll turn things around. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t come back.”
Gaudu will race the Tour de France, but this time around he will follow a less traditional path. It is not yet decided whether he will race the Tour de Suisse or Tour Auverge - Rhõne Alpes at all; but what he will race are some smaller level explosive races in Bretagne. The GP du Morbihan, Tour du Finistère and Boucles de l'Aulne will provide opportunities for Gaudu to get his groove back.
“I’m going there to achieve the best possible result, why not the win? That’s my mindset," he concluded.
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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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
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- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
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