He started this last day in the Basque Country as fourth overall, and David Gaudu finished the race and the queen stage in this same exact position. The Frenchman suffered but fought bravely and just missed out the podium because of the bonus seconds granted in the last sprint. A few weeks after his second place in Paris-Nice, the Groupama-FDJ leader still secured another very convincing result at WorldTour level as “his” Classics, the Ardennes ones, are coming.
Last day of racing, “just” 137 kilometres on the menu, 3500 meters of elevation gain and a close general classification. Everything converged for a very tough race this Saturday on the Tour of the Basque Country. It was then expected that the fight would start from the first climb of the day, and it didn’t go otherwise. A few big names tried to break away from the start, before a strong breakaway established itself on the climb to Azurki. Within it was Bruno Armirail! Alongside Emanuel Buchmann, Attila Valter, Steven Kruijswijk, Esteban Chaves, Daniel Martinez, Ruben Guerreiro or even Eddie Dunbar, the French rider managed to take a two-minute lead. “There were so many possible scenarios in this last stage, so we had the option to send Bruno in the break so that he could pass the toughest climbs at his own pace and be with David in the final”, explained Philippe Mauduit. “It worked out quite well, and after a fast and tough start, Bruno was distanced in the hard climb halfway through the race, but he was caught by David’s group and hung on there. In the last hour of racing, we therefore had support for David. He needed it because we knew he was a bit ill for three days. We had to be alongside him, and Quentin, Romain and Michael were still there too”.
“It was a mental fight”, David Gaudu
Following a first major selection within the bunch in the Krabelin (5km at 9%), David Gaudu still had Michael Storer with him, then Romain Grégoire and Quentin Pacher were able to come back before the last three climbs. The Groupama-FDJ “train” even took control before Izua (4km at 9%), the most difficult ascent of the final. “We found ourselves with the numbers in the last thirty kilometres, and we thought we could try something,” added Philippe. “We rather did it to drop some potential opponents for the podium. We knew that David wouldn’t have the means to attack, but we also knew that those who were fighting for the podium against him were also in trouble. We had this small advantage of being able to put pressure on them, so we didn’t bother. This also pushed David a bit to the limit, but it was a good thing. This way, he knows that even when he’s not in top shape, his mates are still there to push him and try things. It was interesting, and it will be useful for the future”. In this same climb of Izua, following the work of Quentin Pacher, Romain Grégoire and Michael Storer, the French leader was therefore unable to follow the sharp attack of the yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane found himself alone in the lead quite quickly, while the Breton gradually joined the other favorites, at his own pace and through some suffering.
“It was a battle against myself, it was a mental fight”, explained David. “I didn’t want to give up. I wanted to bring the podium back to the team.” “It also confirms that he is able to handle it, even when he is a little sick or has a bad day”, underlined Philippe. “A few weeks ago, he was an attacker, and everything was fine, but being able to hang on and save what can be saved like he did today is also very important”. At the top of the penultimate climb, the Groupama-FDJ leader therefore managed to stay with the rest of the favourites, which he also did in the day’s last ascent although it proved very difficult. In the lead, Jonas Vingegaard went for his third stage win and the final victory while numerous attacks occurred in the battle for the podium. “It’s a very tactical final,” explained David. “I tried to be as discreet as possible and let others do the work. When I saw that we were going to sprint for third place (behind James Knox, editor’s note), I took Higuita’s wheel, as I thought he would be the fastest, but I couldn’t manage to pass him”. In the end, Ion Izagirre took third place on the day, grabbed four bonus seconds, and therefore stole third place overall to David Gaudu.
“They truly mastered their race as a team”, Philippe Mauduit
In the last metres of the last stage, the Frenchman then had to let the final podium slip away. “It’s cruel, but that’s part of the game,” said David. “Given my level this week, finishing fourth is even a little unexpected. I was bothered with allergies all week. I was on my limit every day and the team was able to support me. I held steady thanks to that, and I fought mentally. We would obviously have preferred to finish third, but the record could be worse than second in Paris-Nice and fourth in the Tour of the Basque Country. The shape was also a little better today, it’s good ahead of the Ardennes Classics”. “David was coming back to racing, and we knew that the Tour of the Basque Country was the last preparation for the Ardennes”, added Philippe Mauduit. “I think the result sticks to what we had planned before the event. Once again, given his physical condition, finishing just off the podium also shows that he is a rider you can rely on. He will be ready for the Ardennes for sure. From a collective point of view, the guys showed that they were there, and that they had no complexes in defending David’s status. We missed a little something to set an even more offensive strategy, but Michael, Lars and Matthieu were coming back from injury. Despite all this, we saw that they still performed well in a race that is always very physically and nervously demanding. They truly mastered their race as a team.”
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