"To be honest, I didn’t do a training camp in May" - David Gaudu confirms he won't ride Tour de France amid teammate criticism

David Gaudu confirmed that he won't ride the 2026 Tour de France amid reported criticism from one of his teammates. The Groupama - FDJ United rider was reportedly out of the squad, but speaking ahead of the National Championships, the French rider gave a definitive answer.

One unnamed teammate this week offered a stark view of a rider whose status appears to have weakened well beyond a simple question of selection within the French team.

“David is an irritating mystery,” the teammate told Le Parisien. “He no longer has the flame but he is the only one who does not realise it. And I can tell you that he has fewer and fewer supporters within the team.”

The rider has spent his entire professional career in the Groupama-FDJ structure. Gaudu joined the team as one of the brightest climbing prospects in French cycling, won three stages at the Vuelta a Espana, finished 2nd overall at Paris-Nice in 2023 and twice placed inside the top ten at the Tour de France - including fourth place in 2022.

When asked about the prospect of the 2026 Tour de France, Gaudu claimed the birth of he and his wife's child got in the way of him staying in top shape.

“No,” Gaudu told L’Équipe. “To be honest, I didn’t do a training camp in May because we were getting very close to the due date, even though it was later than expected.

"I’m not in the right shape to perform well in the Tour, so I’d rather give my place to another rider who can help the team in their quest for a stage win."

Gaudu responded to questions about his commitment and his motivation in cycling: “If I didn’t have the desire, I wouldn’t train, I wouldn’t push myself, I wouldn’t be competing… I’m still motivated, I get a huge amount of enjoyment out of it."

"A chapter of my life has obviously come to an end with the arrival of my child a week ago, so I see things differently now… But I still get a huge amount of enjoyment out of cycling.”

Gaudu is contracted with the WorldTour team until the end of the 2027 team, and insists that he will see it through.

“I’ve got a contract, and all parties have signed it,” Gaudu said. “I’m training, I’m doing what’s required. We’ll see the contract through to the end, and perhaps after that a new chapter will begin. But we’re still under contract until next year.”