Summer rest finished, and the verb of Cyrille Guimard remains as sharp as its analyzes! Between the hatching of Paul Seixas at the turn of the future, the errors of David Gaudu on The returnthe overwhelming shadow of Jonas Vingegaardor the uncertain future of Juan Ayuso and the shock transfer of Remco Evenepoel chez Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohethe “druid” dissects the news of cycling without detour. True to his reputation, the former runner, sports director, coach and consultant delivers a column that will not leave anyone indifferent.
“Paul Seixas confirmed his talent”
Hello Cyrille Guimard, it's been a while since the Tour de France, right?
Yes, it was a bit of a vacation for bicycle followers, even if the news was not missing. Personally, I rested well, I was not very tired, because I especially watched television!
And since then there has been the turn of the future …
The tour of the future has been very beautiful, with French very present. Paul Seixas confirmed his talent, already known since his junior years, but this time he crossed a superior course. Thomas Voeckler even plans to integrate it into the selection for the next world championships, which promise to be very demanding.
Regarding Paul Seixas, despite the fact that he did not win the two mountain stages, he won the two time trials. Is this the type of performance you were waiting for, knowing that he said he was not 100 %?
Yes, I saw his statements. To say that we are not 100 % is not necessarily well seen by our opponents! But 90 %is already impressive. Regardless, he is young and can make some communication errors. He will have the means to show his best level in the years to come. With Léo Bisiaux, Aubin Sparfel, Maxime Declumble, Lenny Martinez … The French succession seems promising for the general rankings of the great towers.
I said to myself: “Gaudu is becoming a warrior”, except that …
David Gaudu scored the first days of Vuelta. We saw him combative, then fell back into his flaws. What do you think?
I had felt for a while, especially when he was looking for the leader's jersey, that he had fought like a chiffonnier to take over from Vinggegaard. I said to myself: “Gaudu is becoming a warrior.” Except that it only lasted a small spring. He fell back into his faults and in the depths of the ranking. He will no doubt say that it is to go and seek escapes and aim for a stage victory. I hope so. But it's still disappointing. In the two difficult stages behind, it was won at the pedal.
Does this week by Vuelta not summarize the career of Gaudu ultimately: capable of the best as of the worst, without clear explanation?
Yes, it sums up well. He had made a very good fourth place on the Tour de France a few years ago, but since then, his results have not been extraordinary. What is its real level? We can ask the question. One thing is certain: it is not a real leader. I want to say that this is a false leader. But he is not a teammate either. Where is its place? Difficult to say. If I was a sports director, I would know. It's simple: either he becomes a teammate of a large leader, or he changes his team.
“Vingegaard has no opponent on this Tour of Spain”
If Gaudu is no longer in the race for the general classification, Vingegaard is well placed, second behind Torstein Traeen. How do you analyze his race?
He runs to win the Vuelta. He makes the efforts it takes at the right time. For me, he is where he will be untouchable. Almeida remains a threat, but I almost want to say that it stops there. Ayuso is from time to time for a stage victory, then puts himself in RTT. Which was also criticized by Almeida. He is not a reliable runner. So for me, Vingegaard has no opponent on this Tour of Spain.
So you expect a Vingegaard parade until the arrival, with several stage victories?
It all depends if it is greedy. But I don't think he will take risks. It is not in its nature to play cowboy. The most difficult steps have not yet taken place, so yes, he will seek other victories and enrich his record.
In France we can hardly talk about Juan Ayuso, but in Spain it is a lot talking. He seemed to rise voluntarily so as not to target the general, then he won an impressive step. He also suggested that he didn't want to help Almeida. What's going on?
I think he's already ready. It is announced to Lidl-Trek. Insofar as he leaves UAE, he is a little collectively demobilized. One can also wonder if it is really mentally solid. He lived alone in Andorra at 18. Are there psychological deficiencies? I don't have the answers, but we can wonder. Changing teams is a good thing in my opinion. Lidl-Trek is solid, healthy, with a real boss like Pedersen, which I really appreciate. Is this the right destination? The future will tell us. But I am not sure he has made the career we imagined.
Let's stay on transfers: the one that has been formalized is Remco Evenepoel at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. What do you think?
His team was not built around him, it is not the Lefevere culture. I felt him a little demotivated since his accident a few months ago. He never completely found his level. Perhaps he needs to change climate, culture, atmosphere. The question also arises on these runners who arrive very young, at 17-18 years old. Are they quite ripe to take the pressure, media coverage, star status? One can wonder if it will not shorten the careers. For Evenepoel, the change can be beneficial, but will he find his marks in a Germanic culture? Not sure. A lot of questions.
