Following harsh criticism from his own team, David Gaudu will not start the 2026 Tour de France

David Gaudu is no longer the David Gaudu he was a few years ago. The Frenchman has been struggling with his form for years, but was expected to be at the start of the Tour de France next week. However, following reports from the team that he had run out of chances, the diminutive climber has been left off the roster for 2026 Tour de France mb.

Gaudu finished fourth in the Tour de France in 2022 and won three stages in the Vuelta a España, among other achievements. The Frenchman surprised friends and foes alike last year by beating Mads Pedersen and Jonas Vingegaard on a difficult finish in the third stage of the Vuelta, but after that he completely disappeared from the racing scene.

This year, he has barely been able to show any decent form. He finished 19th in the UAE Tour and fifth in the Boucles de l'Aulne. But his performances have been disappointing, even though he is one of the highest-paid French riders in the peloton. Moreover, Gaudu doesn’t seem to be fitting in well with the Groupama-FDJ team anymore.

An anonymous teammate spoke to Le Parisien. “David is an annoying enigma. He doesn’t have the passion anymore, but he’s the only one who doesn’t realize it. And I can tell you that he’s getting less and less support within the team.” Gaudu’s presence is causing friction—that much is clear. The fact that he doesn’t get along with his teammates is nothing new: Alexys Brunel even said he “hated” him.

Gaudu has now announced that he will not be competing in the Tour de France. “I didn’t have the right preparation; I didn’t do a training camp in May because my partner’s pregnancy was almost over,” he explained to RMC. “I don’t have the preparation to be competitive, so I’d rather give up my spot to a rider who can help the team win a stage.”

The 29-year-old climber had strong words about the reports from the past few days. “I have no explanation for the criticism directed at me, and I couldn’t care less about the controversy of the past few days.” It’s doubtful whether we’ll see Gaudu in the Groupama-FDJ jersey next year. His contract does run through 2027, however.