"While Pogacar looks strongest on paper, nothing’s ever guaranteed" - Marc Madiot backing Guillaume Martin to lead Groupama - FDJ to successful Tour de France

So dominant has Tadej Pogacar been over the last couple of seasons, that in races where the Slovenian appears, the rest of the team are often left fighting for scraps. At the 2025 Tour de France, Groupama - FDJ will be one of these teams looking to shine up against the world champion, and team boss Marc Madiot has a plan in mind.

"Pogacar looks to be at his absolute best, especially in the mountains. There might still be a few tweaks needed in the time trials, but overall, he’s been incredibly strong since the start of the season," Madiot previews of the pre-Tour favourite in conversation with Cyclism'Actu.

Madiot also sees Pogacar a cut above the rest of the Maillot Jaune contenders. "Jonas Vingegaard seemed in good shape too, but he’s still missing that small edge to truly go toe-to-toe with Pogacar," he explains. "There’s a clear gap between the two of them and the rest—even though Remco Evenepoel is also performing at a very high level. It seems the pecking order from last year is holding steady."

Pogacar is, as mentioned, the favourite with the bookies ahead of the Tour de France. "I haven’t seen the odds, but judging by what we’ve all observed, you don’t need to be an expert to see that Pogacar is the number-one favourite," Madiot says. "But you always have to be cautious."

"The Tour is three weeks long, full of pitfalls: mountains, time trials, tricky stages, wind, the chaos of the peloton… There are so many variables that you try to manage, but you can never control them all," the experienced Frenchman adds with a word of warning. "There are always uncertainties in racing. So while Pogacar looks strongest on paper, nothing’s ever guaranteed."

For his own team's hopes of glory, Madiot is looking towards Guillaume Martin. "Like many teams in the middle tier of the WorldTour, our main goal is to win a stage. After that, we want to get as close as possible to the top riders, particularly with Guillaume Martin," he says. "We’ve got a good, well-balanced team and we hope to carry over the momentum from the Tour de Suisse. By combining what we learned from both the Dauphiné and the Suisse, we should be well prepared."

The typical GC leader of Groupama - FDJ, David Gaudu, might not be in contention however. "We’re not there yet. We’ll take stock after the French National Championships. A David Gaudu at his best can operate at the same level as Guillaume. We’ll see how he’s feeling physically over the next few days and decide accordingly," he concludes. "Yes, we’re starting to form some ideas, but it’s still too early to say anything definitive."