David Gaudu talks about his ambitions for Tour de France: "The objective is to get the podium"

David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) has just started his preparation for the Tour de France (July 1 to 23). The Frenchman began his three-week training camp at altitude, on the famous volcano Teide, Tenerife, before participating in the Critérium du Dauphiné (June 4 to 11).

If his participation in the Grande Boucle is (apart from injury or illness) a certainty, then that of his teammate Thibaut Pinot, who's currently racing Giro d'Italia, is much less so. "I know that if he is there, for his last Tour, he will be 2000% ready," explains Gaudu to L'Équipe. "Thibaut has experienced everything about the Tour, victory, retirement while fighting for the general classification, he was leader X times. His experience would be very useful to me."

Gaudu, 4th at last year's Tour, wants to climb one more step and seek a podium. He would be the first Frenchman to achieve this feat since Romain Bardet in 2017. "The objective is to get the podium. We know that there are two big favorites, Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. And then there are outsiders looking for their chance and I am in this group," says Gaudu.

"That's what has always made me dream since I was little. I prefer that to a victory, even in the queen stage. It may be the year or never to make the podium. Especially when you see the young people pushing behind, the Juan Ayusos, the Remco Evenepoels, it will be more and more difficult."