French climber David Gaudu, 9th in the fifth stage of the Tour de France arriving in Laruns on Wednesday, finished at the same time as Tadej Pogacar. “It’s good for the head” appreciated the Breton. “In the group of favorites, I switch behind Vingegaard and Pogacar, in the third curtain. In the climb, there were only five or six of us left, so it’s good for the head”, underlined the leader of Groupama-FDJ, who left the Critérium du Dauphiné in doubt after his 30th place 25 minutes from the holder of the title in the Grande Boucle.
After five days, he is in tenth place in the general classification, 1 minute and 56 seconds behind the new Australian yellow jersey Jai Hindley. But he is less behind (1 minute and 9 seconds) on defending champion Jonas Vingegaard before another hearty mountain stage on Thursday with the Aspin and Tourmalet passes and the climb to Cauterets-Cambasque on the menu. “I felt good all day, so it’s a good omen, describes David Gaudu, who stayed at the foot of the podium last year. But the Tour is still very, very long, it was only the first mountain stage, we have not yet reached the summit.
Same satisfaction with his general manager Marc Madiot, who remembers a “good day. We wanted to have a rider in front, we had Valentin (Madouas) who gave a hand in the final. We are rather calm,” he said. “In the last week of the Tour, you will have to be solid, have reserves and David is more of a rider who finishes his big laps well.”
