Down but not out, David Gaudu recovering from fractures after Tirreno-Adriatico crash: "It's a lot of frustration, disappointment"
Cycling
David Gaudu's season started on a high, showing strong early
form with a victory and a podium finish at the Tour of Oman. It looked like he
was building momentum, continuing the resurgence he showed in the Vuelta a
Espana last year, however, his progress was abruptly halted at Tirreno-Adriatico,
where he crashed and fractured his thumb, requiring surgery.
The Groupama - FDJ leader expressed his frustration on social
media, reflecting on the rollercoaster of emotions he has experienced in just a
few short weeks.
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"Nothing is written in advance. The last time I posted
a message here, it was a blast! I had just won a stage at the Tour of Oman and
finished 3rd in the General Classification. The season started perfectly, and I
wanted to step up because my legs were there. Since then, I've had a series of
struggles. Four falls in about twenty days.
“The last one at the beginning of the week at
Tirreno-Adriatico = Abandon. Several tests and the verdict: Fracture of the
base of the first metacarpal, synonymous with surgery. A real setback in my
season. On this first block, I did a lot of training and very few days of
racing in the end. It's a lot of frustration, disappointment.
“I'm going to take a break, rest, heal this injury, and
bounce back. That's high-level sport with its ups and downs."
The setback is particularly frustrating given how well Gaudu
had started 2025, aiming to put a difficult 2023 campaign behind him. With his return
to form at the Vuelta last year, hopes were high that this season would see him
back among the top contenders. However, his series of crashes in recent weeks
has disrupted his rhythm, limiting his race days and delaying his preparation.
Despite this latest blow, his long-term goals remain
unchanged. The Giro d’Italia in May is still firmly on his calendar, and with
time to recover and rebuild his form, he will be looking to make a strong
return on one of cycling’s biggest stages.
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Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- he is doing 460 watts for 35 min to achieve 7 w/kg with VO2 at 96 , just unreal numbers.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just do it, and put up with the consequencesJumpyjohn08-11-2026
- "was a headliner at the Tour de France" Nobody cared about Piddie. Only rivals that were there for Pogi, Jonas, Remco, Sexias, Lipo, Del Toro and they were all expected to lose. Piddie was not even in any conversation.abstractengineer08-11-2026
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