"He's super arrogant. I find that difficult to deal with" - Former pro not so fond of Vuelta leader David Gaudu
Cycling
Quite unexpectedly, David Gaudu became a major protagonist of the early stages of this year's Vuelta a Espana. The Frenchman started 2025 strongly with a stage win and a third place overall at the Tour of Oman. But since then - nothing. All of a sudden, Gaudu has won a stage and now even moved into the race lead. Quite a comeback.
Former professional Roxane Knetemann had the opportunity to meet Gaudu at the start of his professional career. In 2017, Knetemann had just joined FDJ's female branch. At the same time, Gaudu made his professional debut for FDJ. However their mutual interaction was quite minimal.
"Back then, he was really just a boy, and he didn't talk to women on bikes," the former rider recalls in the In het Wiel podcast. "I found him a bit annoying. At the time, I thought: That little boy, maybe he's just a bit shy. But then I realized it wasn't shyness. He's super arrogant. I find that difficult to deal with."
Gaudu's victory on Monday didn't go without a controversy. The Frenchman approached last corner from third position, but was able to get past race leader Jonas Vingegaard as well as favourite Mads Pedersen with a single move. Unfortunately, race cameras didn't provide an ideal angle of the final hairpin, but his competitors didn't sound fond of his actions afterwards. "Vingegaard was in the front row, of course, so maybe he saw something. Something that looked like a T-bone. We saw him turn in. And when he came out of the corner, nothing happened."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
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- Well it clearly helps that this was Pidcock's own car, no?Occam06-11-2026
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- What a gimmick
Rafionain-Glas06-11-2026 - Thats only cause he rides for UAE. In any other team he would be captain in many races atleast. UAE is just to crazymiguel06-11-2026
- He seems to be the rare athlete whose passion and curiosity about life beyond his sport equals his extraordinary achievements in it. It would be great for him to risk less of that life. He seems very grateful and joyful for what he has already attained.
MarkFour06-11-2026 - As much as I admire and even revere Wout, the less I know about his backside the better.MidnightRider06-11-2026
- Ok, Walt 🤣... Vingegaard would be lucky to get on the poduim. He would not beat Seixas or Del Toro, let alone TP. Then there are the Americans...BD06-11-2026
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