David Gaudu delivered a major surprise for Groupama-FDJ on Tuesday in Ceres. The Frenchman outpaced top favorite Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and his fellow Dane Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) on the uphill final kilometer, following an already solid performance the day before in Limone Piemonte.
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Gaudu held strong through the high pace set by Lidl-Trek and launched his decisive move in the final meters, one that Pedersen and the others had no answer to.
“This is a surprise. I was still thinking on the team bus, ‘this one’s for Pedersen.’ But my teammates, like Stefan Küng, told me I also have a punch and that I could win today. They did a great job keeping me near the front all day, and I’m incredibly happy and proud to have finished it off.”
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After the stage, Vingegaard expressed frustration about Gaudu’s “divebomb” move in the final corner. But Gaudu brushed it off: “Was it intentional to take the inside line? Not really. I was just riding my own climb until Pedersen launched with 250 meters to go. After that, I just went all-in to the finish.”
Read on below the video!
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Gaudu filled with emotion after surprise Vuelta win
Gaudu's victory in Ceres marks his most beautiful win in what has otherwise been a rough 2025 season. "It’s been a really difficult year. So there are a lot of emotions right now. This is the best possible start to the Vuelta we could have imagined."
"I haven’t won a World Tour race since the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2022, where I beat Wout van Aert. And now we can add Mads to that list, in a sprint, no less! It might be a bit anecdotal, but there’s a lot of positive to take from this," said Gaudu, who now sits second in the overall classification.
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
🚴🇪🇸 | Ongelofelijk! David Gaudu verrast topfavoriet Mads Pedersen. Waar komt de vorm van de Fransman ineens vandaan? 🤯 #LaVuelta25
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