The main native contender for the Tour de France, David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) has mentioned that he shall be using the upcoming Grand Boucle with none particular targets on the GC classification.
The Groupama-FDJ racer was the best-placed Tour finisher for the host nation in each of the final two editions, inserting ninth in 2023 and fourth in 2022.
The Frenchman shall be racing within the Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes this Wednesday, previous to heading on to the Critérium du Dauphiné. He will wish to guarantee a powerful sufficient efficiency, significantly after final yr’s below-expectations experience in the identical race, offers him a lift going into the French Nationals after which above all, the Tour de France.
Regarding the Tour itself and what he can obtain there, Gaudu informed L’Équipe on Wednesday that he “was not establishing any particular limitations.” Rather than put strain on himself to get on the rostrum like he tried, and did not do, in 2023, his thought could be to judge in the course of the race itself what he may obtain.
“We’re going to take issues as they arrive and attempt to be extra offensive,” Gaudu mentioned. “If I’m eighth or ninth on the finish of the primary week, I hope I’d be capable of get within the breaks, even when it means I then crack and drop again to fifteenth or twentieth total.”
“What I’ve no intention of doing is sitting up and dropping time deliberately within the first few days.”
After struggling one crash in O Gran Camino in the course of the recon due to sturdy winds and one other in Paris-Nice, Gaudu deserted on the final stage with sickness. He then crashed once more within the Itzulia Basque Country and suffered a deep gash in his hand that compelled him to desert.
His luck circled with a win within the Tour du Jura and after a lowkey experience within the Tour de Romandie, and a three-week coaching camp on Teide, Gaudu is now again in racing this Wednesday on the Mercan’Tour.
“It’s Classic to do as a result of there aren’t that many for climbers,” Gaudu noticed, concerning the race which covers 80 kilometres of stage 20 of the Tour de France.
Asked whether or not he had watched the Giro d’Italia and if he felt interested in it due to the much less managed model of racing, Gaudu agreed.
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“It’s not essentially a nicer racer than the Tour, however you may see that it presents extra freedom of manoeuvre.”
“But the Tour continues to be the Tour, the best race on the planet, so I must be there, even when it’s extra chained down and there are extra groups holding a lid on issues.”
“But there are additionally days the place it’s attainable to make some strikes. That doesn’t occur on a regular basis, however it may possibly occur, in case you have the legs and the arrogance and the celebrities align.”
(Image credit score: Getty Images)
The challenges of 2024
2024 has not been a simple yr, Gaudu recognised, “however I’ve at all times been capable of get again up. If I didn’t nonetheless have that ‘mad canine’ mentality, I wouldn’t have attacked on the foot of the Mont Poupet climb within the Tour du Jura [a race he won in April].”
“That was possibly the day the place I’ve felt essentially the most liberated, the place I simply informed myself ‘go for it and see what occurs.’
However, within the Tour, reasonably than stage wins, his largest objective shall be “to stay with the GC favourites so long as attainable. GC racing is what makes me dream.”
“I’ve already been up there in Paris-Nice” – inserting second in 2023. “I’ve additionally positioned fourth within the Tour the yr earlier than. Two riders” – Tadej Pogačar and, assuming he races in July, Jonas Vingegaard – “are a degree above the remaining, and one has proven that greater than ever within the latest Giro d’Italia, so we all know they’ll be within the thick of the motion. We’ll should see the way it performs out on the bottom.”
Gaudu can also be on the comeback path on the Dauphiné, the place he completed an unremarkable thirtieth final yr. But he defined that reasonably than struggling the implications of an overload in coaching like in 2023, this time spherical his latest altitude camp had been primarily based on very particular coaching duties and he hoped to be in higher form in consequence.
There then stays the largest problem of all of them, the Tour, the place Gaudu mentioned his goals, albeit not essentially this yr, remained very formidable.
“My dream is to get on the rostrum within the Tour. My largest dream could be to win it, however it’s a must to be real looking, that might be very, very difficult,” he informed L’Équipe.
“The podium is far more possible, even when that’s very exhausting too. Liege, the place I completed third again in 2021, stays my dream Classic to attempt to win. But in [stage racing] GC battles I’ve nonetheless bought some good playing cards to play, too.”
