There are victories that are worth much more than the UCI points and the winner’s bouquet they bring. The one won by David Gaudu during the third stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné is one of them. Firstly because she is magnificent and now puts him in second place in the general classification. At the top of the Chastreix-Sancy resort, in the heart of the Auvergne volcanoes, the little Breton from Groupama-FDJ has offered himself the luxury of jumping on the Wout van Aert line. The Belgian Jumbo-Visma phenomenon had already raised his arms before watching, annoyed, Gaudu’s bike pass in front of him on his right. It is by the yardstick of his opponents that we judge the quality of a success and the Jumbo-Visma of Primoz Roglic had really decided to play for the win.
And this victory comes at a great time for Gaudu. Officially, the Groupama-FDJ team does not yet know who, between him and Thibaut Pinot, will be its leader in the next Tour de France. Gaudu having the roads of Dauphiné to express himself where Pinot is supposed to show himself on that of the Tour de Suisse. In reality, the matter seems simpler: Gaudu will be the leader and Pinot will be asked to play for stage victories in order to relieve the latter of the pressure that has often served him in the past.
But in this ideal scheme, Gaudu still had to give pledges after a complicated first part of the season despite a stage success on the Tour of the Algarve on February 17. In particular, he had to abandon Paris-Nice after a fall. His great victory in this Dauphiné therefore clearly reassures internally on his ability to hold his rank in July.
“Play the general classification until the end”
“I said to myself that if I could win it would free me, he says after the finish. When I cross the line I explode and I’m the happiest of men. March and April had been complicated with my fall in Paris-Nice then the Covid which had me bedridden. In particular, I had back pain which had stressed me a lot. And I’m someone who puts a lot of pressure on myself. »
Since his resumption of training, Gaudu seems freed from this “enormous weight” that he mentioned with his entourage several weeks ago. Reassured by his preparation course then his third place during his resumption of the Mercantour Classic on May 31, the little climber knows, deep down, that he is on time for the next Tour de France.
“But on this Dauphiné, I will continue to play for the general classification until the end, already trying to set a good time this Wednesday during the 4th stage. What is certain is that I have just won one of the greatest successes of my career. I put above only that of Arrate (Editor’s note: a stage of the Tour of the Basque Country won on April 10, 2021 ahead of Primoz Roglic). But winning in France in a race at this level when you’re French is really very difficult. »
This victory, the ninth of his career, will not paradoxically prevent him from worrying less. But with a more measured stress. “Actually, I need it,” he smiles. As soon as I hear about a border stage, for example, because it’s windy, I worry as if it were a mountain stage. And so much the better because otherwise, my head would be elsewhere. In any case, this Critérium du Dauphiné was an important point of passage to find out where I was. “And this success will have an echo across the Alps to tell Thibaut Pinot, on the side of the Tour de Suisse, that he will not have to regain a status of leader that he no longer demands too much. For now, the Groupama-FDJ plan is working perfectly.
