"We have to stay focused" - David Gaudu remains hopeful of achieving podium place despite disappointing first week

Losing more time to his rivals on the stage 9 summit finish atop Puy de Dôme, David Gaudu dropped from 7th to 8th in the Tour de France general classification. Despite this, Gaudu remains the leading Frenchman and holds out hope of finishing on the podium.

Speaking after stage 9, Philippe Mauduit, sports director at Groupama - FDJ addressed Gaudu's performances and his positioning in the general classification. “Of course we are disappointed that we have not achieved the expected results, but on the other hand, nothing is lost yet and there is nothing to worry about,” he explains. 

“We should not panic, although we would have liked to be higher in the standings. What's to come is very tough and we know that David always finishes grand tours well," Mauduit continues. “People often remind us that we are aiming for the Tour podium and we still have that ambition. But let's not forget that a third place in the Tour is a very high goal. It is not easy to achieve. We have to stay focused and try to get close to it.”

Heading into the first rest day of the 2023 Tour de France, Gaudu sits in 8th in the general classification, 6:01 down on overall race leader Jonas Vingegaard and 3:21 behind Jai Hindley in third.