Tour ambitions, racing mentality and the power of EF: yellow-clad Alex Baudin was the hero of the Dauphiné for days

He held on for a long time, but Alex Baudin has finally been ridden out of yellow in the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. IDL ProCycling was present in France this week and spoke with him during the WorldTour stage race. About his experiences in yellow, the strengths and racing mentality of his team, and what this adventure means for the Tour de France. Whatever he was asked, the Frenchman from EF answered with a smile.

First, back to Sunday, when Baudin decided to go clear just under 30 kilometres from the finish in the opening stage. The 25-year-old rider from Albertville left his breakaway companions behind, and the peloton never saw him again. That meant that after day one he was able to pull the yellow jersey onto his shoulders.

And that yellow jersey, he wore it with an enormous smile. Every time the Frenchman entered the sometimes strikingly empty press room during the week, and every time he spoke to the press in the mixed zone, the corners of his mouth were turned upwards. His words on Wednesday summed it up nicely: “It was really great to receive my full yellow kit this morning, for example. I was honestly like a child on the bus when I put it on.”

“Very rare moments, and I’m really enjoying them,” Baudin called his adventure in the yellow jersey. And, as he honestly admitted: “I don’t think I’m going to experience this every year.” So the mindset was clear: enjoy it for as long as it lasts. His team, at least, did everything it could to make it last as long as possible. “We have an attacking philosophy in the team, but when we have the leader’s jersey, of course we also have to change the plan.”

For the Frenchman, it was the starting point for what would become an interesting analysis of his team. “We can’t go on the attack every day, because we also have to defend the jersey. I think everyone enjoys that. Defending a jersey is always special, and it’s also a good experience for everyone.”

“This team philosophy, the way we race offensively, the way we don’t necessarily respect the usual codes of every race, and the way everyone in the team gets opportunities... that really suits me,” Baudin continued. “I think that if I had been in another team, we would not have had the same plan on Sunday. Then maybe I would not have won.”

That is why the rider from Albertville, who clearly knows the roads of the Dauphiné extremely well, feels so at home in the American team. In 2025, he made the move from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. “It was always my wish not to spend my entire career with a French team. I chose to leave two years ago, when I got the opportunity,” he said, looking back on that decision.

It turned out to be the right move. “It went very well straight away, including in terms of integration. Fortunately, there are also a lot of French people on the staff, so that helped.” But, he added: “It also takes time to integrate into a group where people are already friends. A group with a lot of nationalities and different cultures, too.”

In this Dauphiné, we certainly saw him laugh a lot. Whatever question Baudin was asked, he answered openly and with a smile. Laughing within the team? That too. But: “It’s not the same humour, and it’s difficult to joke around in English. My English is good, so I do understand the humour, but it takes some time. I think I have really found my place in this group now,” he concluded.

And in that diversity, Baudin sees a real strength for EF. “It does bring something extra. The rider group is also much more English-speaking. I can’t really explain what is different. The humour and the culture are different. It’s just good to change that once in a while. Not because one thing is bad or wrong, but it does change something.”

On behalf of attacking EF Education-EasyPost, the Frenchman is set to line up in the Tour de France in July. When we ask him about that, he starts beaming again. But does the fact that he spent several days in yellow at the Dauphiné change anything about his ambitions? “Not necessarily. This yellow jersey is a bonus after the victory, but my ambitions remain the same for the Tour.”

Asked to spell that out, Baudin did so neatly. “The goal is still to win a stage in the Tour.” How? In Baudin style, or in other words: EF style. “By being at the front, in any case, like I did on Sunday. I do think this gives me extra confidence and also frees me up a little. You don’t win like this very often,” Baudin said, taking that victory with him towards the Tour.

The reality, in any case, is that he will start there without the yellow jersey. And in the Dauphiné, too, he could not hold on to yellow in the end. Still, Baudin was already unwilling on Thursday to attach too much importance to where he might stand in the overall classification after the brutally hard final weekend. “I don’t want to set a target and then maybe be disappointed at the end of the week if I don’t achieve it.”

Typically, the Frenchman would rather remember all the positive things from his days in yellow. “I want to leave this Dauphiné with the memory of my victory and the days in yellow. Everything that comes now is a bonus. After that, I can complete my preparation for the Tour de France.”

So from Barcelona onwards, make sure you keep an eye on that EF rider with the big smile.