"I’ve rarely had as much fun as I have in the last three weeks" - Reborn David Gaudu falls back in love with cycling at La Vuelta 2024 following disappointing season

One of the big general classification hopefuls of French cycling, David Gaudu has struggled to set the world alight in 2024. After a somewhat disappointing campaign however, the Frenchman was much improved at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, finishing 6th overall.

"If I had been told that I would finish sixth before the Vuelta, I think a lot of people would have signed, whether it was me, the team or the fans,” Gaudu assessed honestly post-race in conversation with his Groupama - FDJ team's official website, content despite losing out on the top 5 to Mattias Skjelmose in the final stage time trial. “Whether I’m fifth or sixth, my Vuelta was a success."

Reborn and re-finding the love of cycling, Gaudu bounced back from a lacklustre Tour de France showing, to prove he is still capable of competing in the upper echelons of Grand Tour cycling. "I got my legs back, I scored results on summit finishes, and I had a lot of fun. I think I’ve rarely had as much fun as I have in the last three weeks," he reflects with delight. "I’d been looking for that feeling of being with the best in the climbs for so long. It’s almost a relief because I’ve been through some very difficult times for a year and a half. This Vuelta will do me a lot of good.”

“He did everything he could to keep his fifth place, but that’s not the most important,” adds Groupama - FDJ's Thierry Bricaud. “The most important thing is that David is back, and that’s what we wanted above all else. He’s really back, because he regained a lot of confidence and took his place back in the international peloton. That will boost him for the rest of his career, but also for the great end of the season that’s coming up.”

“The goal was to go for the top 10 with David, and to go for a stage victory,” Bricaud concludes. “We had to wait until the last day, but it doesn’t matter! It’s also amazing to finish like this, and I always had in mind that we could end the Vuelta with a victory. We knew that this time trial could reward the team and Stefan. Above all, a Grand Tour is a real human adventure, and we experienced a month with lots of smiles and professionalism. Then, when it moreover ends with a win, it is all the more beautiful for the staff and the riders.”