“I expect a champion’s response” - Groupama-FDJ hope Tour de France snub will “provoke a reaction” from struggling David Gaudu amid rising attitude concerns

Groupama - FDJ United have denied that David Gaudu’s Tour de France omission points towards a split, but the message from team management still came with pressure attached after a turbulent few days around the French climber.

Gaudu has been left out of the team’s eight-man squad for the 2026 Tour, which starts on 4 July in Barcelona. For a rider who finished 4th overall at the 2022 edition and has long been one of Groupama-FDJ’s most recognisable names, the decision marks another sharp turn in a difficult spell.

The snub also comes amid growing scrutiny in France over Gaudu’s standing inside the team.

Le Parisien recently placed the 29-year-old at the centre of questions around his attitude, with an unnamed teammate saying he had “fewer and fewer supporters” within the squad.

Speaking to Le Telegramme, Groupama-FDJ United general manager Thierry Cornec insisted Gaudu’s future with the team is not in immediate doubt. “There is absolutely no question of a divorce between David and the team,” said Cornec, who succeeded Marc Madiot as general manager.

Gaudu has spent his whole professional career in the Groupama-FDJ structure. He joined as one of French cycling’s brightest climbing prospects, developed into a Tour de France top-four finisher and has won three stages at the Vuelta a Espana.

Cornec’s defence, though, came with a demand for a response. “I do not manage through fear,” he said. “That said, I expect a champion’s response from him. I hope what has just happened will provoke a reaction. If it can prick him a little...”

Gaudu’s results this season have left him short of a convincing Tour de France case. His best finish of 2026 remains 5th at Boucles de l’Aulne - Chateaulin, while his strongest WorldTour results have been 9th on Jebel Hafeet at the UAE Tour and 8th on stage 4 of Paris-Nice.

That Paris-Nice performance was followed by abandonment the next day. Since then, Gaudu has finished 59th overall at Volta a Catalunya and 57th overall at Tour de Romandie, without a major GC performance to push him back into Tour selection.

His last victory came on stage 3 of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, almost a year ago. Since then, the gap between Gaudu’s past status and his current place in Groupama-FDJ’s plans has only grown. “I hope he will show us that we can count on him,” Cornec added. “We are not abandoning him but we expect more from him.”

Gaudu is now expected to reset away from the Tour de France spotlight. After an altitude camp in July, he could return to racing at the Tour de l’Ain from 28-30 July, before continuing at the Tour de Burgos from 4-8 August.

The Vuelta a Espana, which runs from 22 August to 13 September, is also a possible target. That race has offered Gaudu a way back before, including his stage win last season and his 6th place overall in 2024.

This summer now carries a different kind of weight. With the Tour gone, attitude questions still hanging over him and his own manager calling for a champion’s response, Gaudu’s next races will decide whether Groupama-FDJ’s public backing is met by a result on the road.