Just two days after returning to competition, David Gaudu faced his first summit finish this Wednesday during Stage 3 of the UAE Tour, on the brand-new and extremely demanding climb of Jebel Mobrah. At the finish, the Breton rider placed 21st, ahead of the second test at Jebel Hafeet on Saturday.
A complete change of scenery at the UAE Tour. The day after an extremely flat individual time trial, in which Rémi Cavagna secured an excellent third place, the peloton faced a very steep ascent at the end of the 183 kilometers scheduled on Wednesday. Stage 3 was indeed set to come down to one climb —but a very tough one. The new Jebel Mobrah climb, thirteen kilometers long at an average gradient of over 8%, with the final seven kilometers close to 12%, was indeed perfect to significantly shake up the general classification. As a result, the breakaway of the day had little impact, even though the two riders out front began the final ascent with a two-minute lead. Approaching this decisive moment, David Gaudu was perfectly supported by his teammates. “The guys stayed calm around David all day, which shows the team’s maturity,” said Stéphane Goubert.
“We have to look ahead,”Stéphane Goubert
Then the serious action began, and the first part of Jebel Mobrah cut the peloton in half. After a short descent with seven kilometers to go, the slopes ramped up again (over 15%), and the best climbers immediately stood out. David Gaudu began to lose a bit of ground, then settled around twentieth place for a while, as Antonio Tiberi went clear solo at the front. Ahead of Remco Evenepoel for a bit, the Groupama-FDJ United rider eventually lost a little more ground in the final and crossed the line in 21st place. “It was a first test to see where he stands in the rebuilding process he started this winter,” Stéphane added. “He was on target until about 3 to 3.5 kilometers from the finish. After that, he was missing a bit, but gaps grow quickly on such steep gradients. David is disappointed. That’s normal—but it’s a good thing, because that’s how you move forward. We have to be realistic, keep working, and look ahead rather than behind.”
The next key general classification showdown will take place on the more famous Jebel Hafeet climb on Saturday, while the first real bunch sprint of the UAE Tour is expected on Thursday.
