Stage win, red jersey, and then a major collapse: Gaudu explains his dip and shares expectations for the rest of the Vuelta

“It was the best start to the Vuelta we could have hoped for,” Gaudu immediately gets to the point in conversation with DirectVelo. "I've been in such a difficult situation since February, without ever finding my true form, whether it was the Giro, not participating in the Tour... And a catastrophic Tour de l'Ain right after the altitude training. There was a massive emotional outburst.“

So massive that the Frenchman had to recover from it. “I needed a few days to recover. My body told me to stop for two or three days, but I think it will get back on track on its own.” The climber from Landivisiau thus had an explanation for the lesser days that followed his victory.

He hopes that it won't take too long, because there are still plenty of opportunities waiting for Gaudu. "In addition to the stage in Madrid and the time trial, there are several other stages on the program. On Tuesday, I will probably still be in a quiet recovery phase, but I am thinking about the stage in Bilbao, and also the Angliru, not to mention the finish at the Lakes of Somiedo, where I already won in 2020."

“Those are beautiful finishes that could suit me well,” says the Groupama-FDJ rider, looking at his opportunities in the remainder of the Vuelta. Being satisfied with one victory is out of the question. “We’re not giving up. We’ve already won a stage, so that’s one less pressure. We’ll keep pushing ourselves to win again, but it’s a completely different kind of pressure.”

The victory on day three came as something of a surprise, as Gaudu had indicated in the run-up to the Tour of Spain that he hoped to grow into the race. "That was no bluff at all. If you look at my level in the Tour de l'Ain... I think some of the guys who were with me in the Tour de l'Ain group must have wondered how I went from that level to a stage in the Vuelta," laughs the Frenchman. He finished 39th in the Tour de l'Ain.

And so, with a victory secured and in good spirits, he looks forward to what is yet to come. “We can say that our Vuelta was a success with a stage win and the red jersey. Although it happened extremely early, and we know that we can quickly forget the first week, this victory is important to me and my teammates. But we don't want to stop there. I want to get my feeling back, enjoy myself, and why not take another stage win?”

“If I get back the legs I had at the start of the race, it's definitely possible,” said Gaudu. “We're going to ride freely, and that way we can achieve another good result, not just with me, but with all the riders. We've seen it with Brieuc (Rolland, ed.) and Thibaud (Gruel, ed.), who are strong, not to mention our rouleurs. We can handle all terrains.”