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The young Breton Valentin Madouas is competing this year in his third Tour de France with the Groupama-FDJ team, in the service of its leaders David Gaudu and Thibault Pinot. He tells us about the race seen from inside the peloton, its good times and its bad times, in weekly road diaries.
Copenhagen, paradise for cyclists
It’s the first time I’ve started the Tour de France from abroad. It’s a bit confusing at first, but the atmosphere in Copenhagen is wonderful. We feel the Danes are very happy to welcome us. I’m not sure they know all of us, but there’s so much encouragement, warmth and passion.
We also see a lot of people on bikes, infrastructure that is adapted to cycling, tracks on almost all roads. We went on a short outing with the team to stretch our legs, it was very pleasant, no fear, the cyclists are totally respected by other road users. It is an example to follow, an inspiration for our cities in France. Copenhagen was chosen, no doubt, also in this logic.
Covid-19, the invisible adversary
This is my third participation in the Tour de France. I live the pre-race moments with less emotion than in 2020, the year of my first, but still, I find this electricity, this atmosphere so different from the other races of the year. I’m in a hurry to fight it out, without being stressed either, in short I’m enjoying it. Of course, there is still this unknown Covid. Fortunately, the protocol has been relaxed: a runner can continue the race, if he is asymptomatic, and I find that logical.
Anyway, a really sick runner can no longer defend his chances. With us, Stefan Kung and Thibault Pinot had it recently on the Tour de Suisse. They are formal: whoever catches it and suffers from it on the Tour de France will find it difficult to see Paris. A runner affected is more tired, he does not fully recover, so for him the race becomes a hassle.
We have no choice, we must continue to deal with this sword of Damocles above the head so I prefer that we keep protective measures. For example, I had a little sore throat, nothing serious in the end, and I isolated myself. We become a little paranoid with all this and it’s true that at the moment, with the mask between courses, team dinners are a little less nice than in general. We can’t wait for this Tour to start to get rid of that weight a bit!
David Gaudu’s bodyguard
On this Tour de France, the team relies on a single leader: our climber David Gaudu. We are going to put ourselves at his service to support him, protect him, allow him to waste as little energy and time as possible during the first week, which is very tricky this year, with edge risks (separation of the peloton caused by a strong side wind, editor’s note), cobblestones.
I’m a “go-anywhere” runner, so I’m going to try to accompany him as much as possible on all terrains. I would also like to play my personal card on a stage, if the opportunity arises, but the collective objective is a priority. I had already experienced this with Thibault Pinot (also present this year, in a role of stage chasers, editor’s note): the fact of having a rider candidate for the general classification in the team pushes the group upwards and gives a little more interest in the early stages. And David Gaudu, in addition to being a friend, is a good leader, he knows how to federate around him, use forms, say when he is not happy, but also when things are going well.
Tadej Pogaçar, the man to beat
For the yellow jersey, Tadej Pogaçar (the Slovenian, double title holder, editor’s note) is a step above physically, he has a very good team around him, but he is not unbeatable. The Tour de France is so difficult and with many unforeseen events. The Jumbo team is also very solid, and they know how to maneuver on the tricky terrain of the first stages. Everyone will do the accounts after a few days: who is still in the game, who is offside? We’ll take stock in a week.
Copenhagen, Valentin Madouas
