David Gaudu is one of the riders in the peloton with the
most pressure on him. He’s a French rider, in a French team, with a country
behind him that are desperate to taste success again at the Tour de France.
This year, the 28 year old struggled at the Tour de France,
and finished just 65th in GC. This was a bad showing for Groupama – FDJ, in their
first Tour without the people’s champion, Thibat Pinot. But, Gaudu bounced back
at the Vuelta a Espana, where he finished 6th in the GC, his best
performance in a grand tour since he came 4th at the Tour de France
in 2022.
Speaking to Cyclism’Actu, Gaudu said, "I had 87 days of
racing, which is my biggest season. There were so many ups and downs, even just
at the start of the season. I was still able to raise my arms, but then the
Dauphiné-Tour de France sequence, with the COVID before the Tour, it was extremely
complicated.
"From the end of the Tour I had the knife between my
teeth,” he reflected. “Often I get up, I sleep, I talk, I ride for the Tour de
France, but this was the same for La Vuelta. I had a great Vuelta and then I
managed to raise my arms in Luxembourg and I finished well in Italy on the Tour
of Lombardy. I was able to find myself at the end of the season."
"The team needs me 100%. I've been through a lot of
difficult things. It's part of a career unfortunately, you have to go through
it. But I think that having managed to recover from that at the end of the
season, it allows me to move on to a new level, even in my life as a man.”
The Frenchman seems positive about his strong finished to
2024, but believes here is more to come next season. “I'm happy in my life, I'm
happy to take my bike, to go riding and to hurt myself. See you in 2025.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as 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. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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