Groupama - FDJ target season-saving stage win - Guillaume Martin and Valentin Madouas lead line-up for Vuelta a Espana
CyclingTuesday, 18 August 2026 at 16:09
Groupama - FDJ have named their eight-man team for the 2026 Vuelta a Espana as the French team seek stage wins at the Spanish Grand Tour. In a team that features Guillaume Martin and Valentin Madouas, the WorldTour team are set to feature in breakaways.
It's been a relatively underwhelming season for the team, with only seven victories, they come in need of UCI points in the first year of the relegation battle. Sitting in 20th place in the latest rankings, they find themselves adrift by several hundred points.
33-year-old climber Martin has often achieved strong results in the Spanish Grand Tour, winning the mountains classification in 2020 and finishing in the top 10 the following year. He offers the team a card to play in uphill finishes.
Madouas also a threat for stages
Meanwhile, Madouas is making his debut in the Spanish race and should be a favourite to feature in breakaways on hilly and medium mount terrain. Elsewhere, Bastien Tronchon makes his Vuelta debut and could aim for brekaways while Clément Berthet, Rémy Rochas and Rudy Molard also offer opportunities on mixed terrain. Olivier Le Gac and Enzo Paleni round out the team as versatile all-rounders.
Meanwhile, the team will be without David Gaudu. Baring few glimpses, the 29-year-old Frenchman has been largely underwhelming in his races and hasn't scored a single UCI point for three months now. As the team has lost its patience, thorough medical examinations will be carried out to get down to the bottom of Gaudu's mysterious fitness problems.
"After a start to the season that allowed him to rebuild a solid athletic base, David is currently going through a more difficult period and has not been able to fully regain his fitness," reads the statement issued by the French team.
"To consolidate the work done in recent months and gather all the information necessary to plan the next steps, David will undergo a series of in-depth medical tests. The results will allow the team to personalize its support, both in terms of training and in defining his next competitive calendar. The team remains fully committed to supporting David during this period and helping him return to peak fitness."
David Gaudu
Groupama - FDJ at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
| Riders |
| Guillaume Martin |
| Valentin Madouas |
| Olivier le Gac |
| Rudy Mollard |
| Clement Berthet |
| Bastien Tronchon |
| Remy Rochas |
| Enzo Paleni |
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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