David Gaudu

Born in Landivisiau, France in the far north-west section of Brittany on October 10, 1996, David Gaudu didn’t have to go far when he moved to the WorldTour level after four seasons with local clubs. He made his mark straightaway as a stagiaire for French squad Groupama-FDJ in 2016, finishing fifth at Tour de l’Ain and then taking a trio of stage podiums to the GC title at Tour de l’Avenir. 

His ability to launch assaults in the mountains vaulted him onto the list of contenders at stage races, especially as the next great French hope for his home Grand Tour. In 2018 Groupama put the then-21-year-old on their Tour de France roster and he finished fourth in the best young rider classification. The next year he was the second-best young rider at the Tour, with a string of solid results in the lead up that included third overall at UAE Tour, a stage win and fifth overall at Tour de Romandie.

By 2020 Gaudu was a fixture on the squad for stage races, landing eighth overall in his first Vuelta a España appearance, which included a pair of stage victories, both with mountaintop finishes. He impressed at one-day races as well as stage races in 2021, winning Faun-Ardèche Classic, then riding to third at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, seventh at La Flèche Wallonne and a stage win at Itzulia Basque Country. At the Tokyo Olympic Games, Gaudu represented France for the first time in a men’s elite event and finished seventh in the road race.

At the age of 25, he finished just one spot off the GC podium at the Tour de France, compiling five top 10s along the way. The next year in 2023, Gaudu positioned himself to take over as the GC leader for Groupama-FDJ with veteran Grand Tour rider Thibaut Pinot headed to retirement. It was his seventh full season with the French WorldTour team, and he punctuated the year with second in GC at Paris-Nice, a fourth overall at Izulia Basque Country and ninth overall at the Tour de France. In 2024, Gaudu endured a difficult Tour, finishing 65th. He rallied in the latter stages of the season, however, taking sixth overall at the Vuelta a España and ninth at the season-closing Il Lombardia.

Key results

2024

Sixth GC Vuelta a España

2023

🥇 Mountains classification at Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var

🥈 Two stages and GC at Paris-Nice

Fourth GC Itzulia Basque Country

2022

🥇 One stage at Critérium du Dauphiné

🥉One stage at Tour de France

Fourth GC Tour de France

2021

🥇 Young rider classification at Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var

🥇 Young rider classification at Critérium du Dauphiné

🥇 One stage at Itzulia Basque Country

🥇 One stage at Tour de Luxembourg

🥇 Faun-Ardèche Classic

🥉Liège-Bastogne-Liège

2020

🥇 Two stages at Vuelta a España

Eighth GC Vuelta a España