The form that David Gaudu showed when the French rider finished close to the Tour de France overall podium in 2022 definitely hasn't been on display in recent months, and that's left his Groupama-FDJ United team looking for answers.
The two-time top ten finisher at both the Vuelta a España and the French Grand Tour, had struggled for for ahead of last year's Tour de France so missed out on his home Grand Tour for the first time since 2017, and even though he did find some redemption at the Vuelta with a stage win, he described it at the time as the hardest season of his career.
Then 2026 started with some promise, delivering stage top tens at both the UAE Tour and Paris-Nice however, as the season progressed results begin to flag and Guadu was not selected for the Tour de France squad yet again, despite having once been the great podium hope for the French WorldTour team, where he has spent his entire career. But now things seem to have gone even further downhill.
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"For several months now, the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team has been working closely with David Gaudu to help him regain a level of performance that matches his talent and abilities," said the team in a statement.
"After a start to the season that allowed him to rebuild a solid athletic foundation, David is currently going through a more difficult period and has not been able to fully regain his form."
After a DNF at the French National Championships near the end of June, Gaudu had more than a month off the bike, returning to racing in August at Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa and delivering a DNF. He finished off the back of the bunch through the first four stages of last week's Vuelta Burgos, and when the summit finish arrived on stage 5, a day that in other circumstances should have been to his advantage, Gaudu was a DNF.
At Sunday's 1.1 ranked La Polynormande, where Groupama-FDJ United was one of just three WorldTour level teams, Gaudu was once again a DNF and it became increasingly clear that he is lacking the form to take on the Vuelta a España as planned.
"To build on the work undertaken over the past several months and to gather all the necessary information for planning the next steps, David will undergo a series of in-depth medical examinations," said Groupama-FDJ United. "The results will enable the team to tailor its support, both in terms of training and in defining his upcoming race schedule."
