"He managed to get back on track" - Marc Madiot retains faith in David Gaudu after up-and-down 2024 season

David Gaudu had a mixed year in 2024 it's probably fair to say. Despite a disappointing first half of the campaign, highlighted by a very under par Tour de France performance, the Frenchman bounced back strongly at the Vuelta a Espana, securing a 6th placed finish in the general classification.

Speaking to Cyclism'Actu, Groupama - FDJ boss Marc Madiot reflected on his team leader's rollercoaster year, but insisted the French-based outfit retain full faith in Gaudu as their big Grand Tour GC hopeful. "David, he had a very difficult start to the season, with falls and Covid, and so he had difficulty linking training and competitions. His first part of the season was very complicated, but I thank him for holding out and being able to get back on track afterwards, especially in the Vuelta," Madiot begins his assessment.

Claiming a 4th career Grand Tour top 10 finish, Gaudu performed admirably at the Vuelta, proving his capabilities as a GC leader remain. "He managed to get back on track and towards interesting things, so congratulations to him and the management for being able to get back on track the day after the Tour de France," Madiot explains. "It's always a question of time and sequence. Today, in the media sphere and on social networks, we quickly praise... but we condemn even more quickly."

"Cycling is an endurance sport that requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice, and then things are never linear for everyone," continues the experienced French team boss. "There are delicate moments, so you have to live with that and above all integrate the fact that when you are in difficulty, you have to continue to work and get into a good dynamic to get the results that will come back later if you invest enough."

"The results he obtained were very interesting because he was in a linear phase. The Tour where he finished fourth, there had been no incident during his preparation. And it's the same when he finished second in Paris-Nice, everything had come together well for us to make this podium. What is true in one sense is also true in the other, that is to say that when you have difficulties, it is complicated to restore the situation, especially when the bad ingredients and the imponderable disrupt the progression," concludes Madiot.