David Gaudu will headline a very strong climbing lineup for Groupama - FDJ at the Tour de France, and he has cleared the air that there will be no tension within the team due to shared leaderships.
“Marc Madiot’s objectives are to go for a podium in the general classification and if I am the team leader, I would go for what the team announced at the start of the season. There will be no war of egos," Gaudu told L'Équipe. This comes regarding the insinuation that Thibaut Pinot will co-lead the team in France, but the 32-year old has already said that "what makes me dream, before thinking about a general classification, is to win a mountain stage."
Pinot is hence not likely to be targeting the overall classification, something he's hinted many times throughout the season. Michael Storer and Valentin Madouas will also be in the lineup, but once again are riders who are more likely to be riding in support and hunting stages in the mountains.
“It will be natural, we won’t even need to talk about it. If, for example, that on the cobblestone stage one of us goes well, or that one of between us finds himself playing for the podium like Ben O’Connor last year, we will bet everything on this person in general," Gaudu added. “We are both hard workers, to be his lieutenant and win stages or to be the leader, the work is the same. It’s just during the race that it will be different and that you will have to adapt to the role that is assigned to you.”
Read also
Gaudu struggled in the final mountain stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, however his win in Sancy showed that he's at a strong level heading into the Tour. Despite not having yet had a Top10 in the overall classification at the Tour, the climber-focused route will suit him and he will be looking to make the difference in the mountains.
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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.
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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)...
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