Outspoken Madiot shares Groupama-FDJ's Tour ambitions and picks his favorite: "You don’t need to be an expert to see it"

“Romain did well in the Tour of Switzerland, looking back on a successful week. He achieved his first goal, which was a stage win. He then wore the yellow jersey for several days, which was a nice bonus.” The team boss also saw other bright spots. “I would also like to highlight the strong performances of Lewis Askey, who finished twice on the podium in bunch sprints. Overall, the results are quite positive.”

“Romain handles the hills well,” the French team manager continued in Cyclism'Actu. "He's a puncher, but he's not a climber who can master big climbs for days on end. We knew it would be tough, but he fought well. Everything he has achieved this week will enable him to do well in the French championships, particularly the Tour de France."

In the week before the Tour of Switzerland, we had an interesting Critérium du Dauphiné. Groupama-FDJ didn't make an impact, although Guillaume Martin secured a tenth place in the GC. “Guillaume is a very good rider and perfectly fulfilled our expectations this week in the Dauphiné,” Madiot looks back. “He may not be a particularly spectacular rider at first glance, but he is tenacious and mentally very strong. He never gives up. I am sure he will give us a lot of satisfaction in the Tour de France.”

World champion Tadej Pogacar certainly made an impression in the Dauphiné. “We can see that he is at his best, especially in the mountains,” said Madiot. "There may still be some details that need to be fine-tuned in the time trial, but overall, he has been very strong since the start of the season. Vingegaard looked in good shape but still misses that little extra to match Pogacar on all fronts. There is clearly a gap between them and the rest of the peloton, even though Evenepoel is also at an excellent level. Last year's hierarchy seems to be confirmed.“

According to the Frenchman, figuring out who the favorite is for the overall victory is not rocket science. ”You don't have to be an expert to say that Pogacar is the number one favorite, but you must always stay alert. The Tour lasts three weeks and has many pitfalls: the mountains, the time trials, the difficult stages, the wind, managing the peloton... There are always ups and downs in the race. So everything remains open, even though Pogacar meets more requirements than the others on paper."

According to Madiot, the top of the GC seems clear, but what is Groupama-FDJ's goal for the Tour? ‘Like many other teams in the 'belly' of the WorldTour peloton, our main goal is a stage victory,’ the Frenchman is clear. ‘Then to get as close as possible to the best, especially with Martin. We have a good, united team and hope to achieve good results, building on what we showed in the Tour of Switzerland. We should be well prepared by combining the lessons learned in the Dauphiné and the Tour of Switzerland.

Madiot does not yet know precisely who will be at the start in Lille on Saturday, July 5. “We will assess the situation after the French championships. A Gaudu, at his best, can be on the same level as Martin. We will see how he feels physically in the coming days, and then we will draw conclusions.”

Finally, Madiot reviewed the year so far. “It's been good. We've had nine victories and performed well in various races, but we all know that July is the decisive month. Everything that has happened before is interesting, but from July 1, everything is up for grabs.”