Blow for the Groupama-FDJ A few days before the big departure in Lille: David Gaudu will not participate in Tour de France. 4th of the event in 2022, the Breton climber, in mixture for several months – because of falls and physical concerns – has chosen to ignore The Grande Boucle. In consultation with his team, he prefers to focus on The return And the end of the season, with the aim of finding its best level. And his general manager Marc Madiot has this news with our colleagues to RMC Sport.
Video – Marc Madiot at the microphone of Cyclism'Actu at the start of the week
“A significant loss”
“It is always a significant loss when it is one of our best elements”said Madiotincluding certain declarations at the microphone of Cyclism’Actu At the start of the week already suggested that Breton was in trouble. The start of the season of Guisor had however been promising with a stage victory and a 3rd place in Tour d’Oman. But since then, “It was permanently in pitfalls, falls, bad spirals”regret Madiot. “We tried to gradually recover from races, get back in the saddle on the Giro, but it fell back.” Faced with this situation, the choice of a package was imposed: “For the Tour, you have to be 100 %. Rather than running after time, we make a reset. The goal is to find it at its best level for Vuelta and the end of the season to China.”
Deprived of its leader, the Groupama-FDJ will adapt. For the general classification, the team will bet on Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet. For medium mountain stages or routes for backpackers, leadership will return to Romain Grégoire. “The life of a team does not stop at the Tour de France”concludes Madiot. “We want to put David back at his best, but in good conditions and without running after lost time.”
