'In France, luxury teammates are very expensive' – David Gaudu believes team budget and employment restrictions limit his prospects as he extends contract

Groupama-FDJ leader David Gaudu has admitted that his newly signed two-year contract extension will be "probably my last contract as leader".

The Frenchman, who is currently racing the Giro d'Italia, has just signed on to stay on board through the end of the 2027 season, bringing his stay with the French WorldTour team to 11 years.

He's grown into a GC leader during his career, recently taking over as the team's undisputed leader following Thibaut Pinot's retirement. He counts 12 wins on his palmarès, including stages at the Vuelta a España, Itzulia Basque Country, and the Critérium du Dauphine, but hasn't yet won a stage race or finished on the podium of a Grand Tour.

Speaking to L'Equipe, the 28-year-old admitted that his new deal will signal the end of his time as a leader at Groupama-FDJ.

"I'm especially happy that the team management has confidence in me. I also know that this is probably my last contract as leader. I'm starting on a two-year contract. My last two years as a team leader, quite simply," Gaudu said.

"I want to continue to show what I can do. [Sixth at] the Vuelta 2024 isn't that far away. When I see my start in the Giro and I'm not even at 100%, I know there's something to be done. It's the same when I win a stage in the Tour of Oman against a top rider like Adam Yates. I've still got it in me."

Gaudu said that he had "talked to two other teams" before re-signing with Groupama-FDJ, adding that the attention was "flattering".

He may be staying, but he acknowledged that his team are fighting an uphill battle in the current budgetary climate, while he also seemed pessimistic about reaching his own career goal, making the podium of a Grand Tour.

"They know that I need to have more pure climbers with me. I know that it's still difficult to have excellent riders when you don't have the biggest budget," Gaudu said.

"In France, we're still limited by social security contributions and employers' contributions. Luxury teammates are very expensive. It's difficult to compete with the big guns. The top 5 in the World Tour are the top 5 in terms of budgets. We're fighting with what we've got.

"When you see the prowess of the youngsters coming through, I know that there's very little room for improvement. It's going to be very difficult to get a Grand Tour podium finish, even if that remains my objective. My fourth place in the 2022 Tour de France will perhaps remain my best performance."

'On Sunday, the strade bianche and the descents were a nightmare'

Gaudu has yet to race in France this season, instead heading to the Tour of Oman (third place finish – Ed.), Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico (both DNFs due to crashes), and the Tour de Romandie (30th) before making his Giro debut.

He said that the signing of Guillaume Martin has allowed him to explore a different calendar, "one that wasn't so French". Gaudu compared himself and Martin with the 'previous generation' of Pinot and Romain Bardet, and the up-and-coming pairing of Lenny Martinez and Paul Seixas.

"We've had two great stars of French cycling, Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet, and then we came to the question of who was going to replace those guys. But we're not here to replace them," he said.

"I was never the person who was going to replace Thibaut Pinot. Many people don't know or understand that. I'd hear people say, 'He'll never replace Pinot', but that's not why I'm here.

"I'm David Gaudu. We have different personalities, different qualities, and different faults. I even think that Paul Seixas or Lenny Martinez are already stronger than Guillaume and me.

"On the other hand, we're lucky enough to have matured physically and mentally over three weeks. That's why we're still here. The in-between, between Thibaut and Romain, and now Seixas or Martinez, is Guillaume and me (laughs). We both fell into a soft spot after two big personalities."

Gaudu is currently 26th overall at the Giro, lying almost seven minutes off race leader Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

It's fair to say his race isn't going to plan so far, with Sunday's stage 9 on the strade bianche of Tuscany – where he finished 48th – bringing back traumatic memories of his crash on the gravel back in March.

Last Thursday, on stage 7 to Tagliacozzo, he went down hard and badly hurt his left hand, ultimately losing 51 seconds at the finish.

"No, no, I'm not cursed with crashes. It's hard, it's a pain, it's a pain. But I'm not going to say that I'm cursed," Gaudu said.

"Thursday's crash was my fault. At Strade too. At Tirreno, it's something else again. We haven't always been lucky in this team.

"Those two crashes in March were traumatic for me. I worked on them with hypnosis and mental preparation, but it wasn't enough. On Sunday, the strade bianche and the descents were a nightmare. I was petrified, I couldn't get past that fear."