According to Cyrille Guimard, David Gaudu is still in contention for top 10 at Tour de France: "We must not forget that not everyone will finish Tour"

Despite mediocre performances at Critérium du Dauphiné, Cyrille Guimard still sees some hope for David Gaudu in upcoming Tour de France. While he admits that it's unlikely that the French climber will repeat his 4th place from last year, the final top 10 might still be within his reach.

"I put him in the group of those who can finish inside the top 10, depending on how the race evolves. We must not forget that not everyone will finish Tour," Guimard reminds. "We saw it well on Giro d'Italia with many retirements, which moreover allowed Thibaut Pinot to make top 5. On the upcoming Tour, like every year, you have 15 riders who will try to ride for GC, and you will have a third or even more who will not arrive to Paris."

"I will not venture to judge the level of performance of Gaudu but also that of Madouas on this Dauphiné. But I think there are some tensions in the team, they are obvious. We know that a number of things have been going on for two or three months. There are too many problems and pressures on a psychological level to be freed and run normally."

Lastly, Guimard shares his view on on-going Démare drama. "For me, the fact that Démare is not in the Tour is not a surprise. You have to make choices in life. Same when you are a team manager. That's life. The surprise would have been if Thibaut Pinot was not at the start. But that was impossible."