"I hate him. He spat on me on his stupid live streams" - David Gaudu under attack from former teammate
Cycling
26-year old Alexys Brunel is a rider with a very interesting rider. He retired from pro cycling in mid 2022 whilst riding for the UAE team, raced gravel for a few years and made a comeback now with TotalEnergies - where he already took a strong win at the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré. He has taken the opportunity in the spotlight to bring up a past dispute with a former teammate and leader: David Gaudu.
Brunel was part of Groupama - FDJ's development team and then turned pro in 2020, spending two seasons with the team before leaving at the end of 2021. The duo were teammates during those two seasons and certainly Gaudu - already then a proven winner - did not leave a good impression.
Seemingly however, it was during David Gaudu's Twitch livestreams that the situation truly spilled over due to Gaudu's comments on Brunel's passion for paddle and his lateness, according to L'Équipe. "I hate him. He spat on me on his stupid live streams. A horrible guy. He thinks he's a champion, but he's not," Brunel told the French news outlet.
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"Those who have a problem with me should buy themselves some cojones. I may be breaking the rules of cycling, but if you crash, you're not yourself. You don't respect me? Me neither". Brunel is now back in the peloton and part of a French team, so racing with Gaudu in the same peloton seems inevitable. It is unusual for there to be a spat with such clear words. It is evident that Gaudu has truly angered one of his former domestiques.
"He may have won races, but that doesn't make him great. Nothing to do with Thibaut Pinot, an idol;" the Frenchman praises his other former leader. "When Thibaut was in my wheel, I gave 1,000%, I could have fallen to the groud".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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