David Gaudu will not start the 2025 Tour de France, calling time on his bid to return to the GC fight after a troubled season of crashes, illness, and fatigue. The French climber, once tipped as the next big home hope, confirmed to AFP that he would miss the race after struggling to find his level in recent months.
“Given my current level, I’ve been honest with the team. In any case, they have my data and we’ve decided together to miss out on the Tour this year,” he said. “To race just to finish, there’s no point in that.”
The decision comes as a major blow to Groupama-FDJ, who have seen a string of setbacks pile up in the lead-up to the Tour. Stefan Küng is also out after a training crash, and earlier this week Benoît Cosnefroy confirmed he would miss both the French Nationals and the Tour with a lingering knee injury from a fall at the Tour de Suisse.
Gaudu’s absence will be particularly painful for fans in Brittany, where the Tour is set to pass through early in the race. “It’s hugely disappointing,” Gaudu said. “Particularly as the race goes through Brittany this year and my relatives were going to come see me there.”
The 28-year-old finished fourth at the Tour in 2022 and ninth last year, but hasn’t been able to rediscover that level in 2025. After an early-season win in Oman offered promise, his year quickly unravelled. He suffered four crashes, including a fractured hand at Tirreno-Adriatico, and limped through the Giro d’Italia in 66th place.
“I held back on a decision until the last weekend to do a training camp, do some mountain climbs and exercises off the bike. But my feelings still aren’t good.”
This would have been Gaudu’s eighth Tour. Instead, the French spotlight now shifts to Guillaume Martin, who will lead Groupama-FDJ with stage ambitions and a possible tilt at the top ten overall. He showed solid form with 10th at the Dauphiné and will anchor a Tour squad that prioritises opportunities over pressure.
“Like many teams in the ‘soft underbelly’ of the World Tour peloton, our main goal is to secure a stage victory,” Marc Madiot told Cyclism’Actu. “Then, to be as close as possible to the best, especially with Guillaume Martin.”
“He’s tenacious and mentally very strong. He never gives up. I’m certain he’ll bring us great satisfaction in the Tour de France.”
Gaudu, who re-signed with the team through to 2027 earlier this year, has hinted that the next two seasons will be his final ones in a leadership role. A return to the Vuelta a España in August remains a possibility.
