Allergy setback adds to Gaudu’s difficult start to season

The rider from Groupama-FDJ has now been forced to skip two French one-day races this weekend, the Classic Grand Besançon on Saturday and the Tour du Jura on Sunday, after suffering allergic reactions linked to pollen during training, according to sports director Philippe Mauduit.

“We decided to withdraw him from the upcoming rounds of the FDJ United Series. It’s better for him to be in the best possible condition before pinning on a race number again,” Mauduit told Quest France.

The setback adds to a disjointed campaign that has yet to find any real rhythm. Gaudu began his season with an 18th place finish at the UAE Tour before failing to finish Trofeo Laigueglia. There were brief signs of promise at Paris-Nice, where he impressed on a rain affected fourth stage.

However, the following day he woke up feeling unwell after a restless night and abandoned the race on the first climb.

His next outing at the Volta a Catalunya did little to change the picture. Any hopes of a general classification result disappeared on the opening stage, and on the first major mountain test he crossed the line more than 28 minutes behind Jonas Vingegaard. He did show some improvement later in the week, finishing 13th and 14th on the final two stages, but the overall impression remained underwhelming.

The team is now aiming to reset once more, with a possible return pencilled in for the Tour de Romandie. From there, Gaudu is expected to ride either the Critérium du Dauphiné or the Tour de Suisse as preparation for the Tour de France, which remains his main target.

The current difficulties follow a mixed 2025 season. Gaudu finished third overall at the Tour of Oman and claimed a stage victory at the Vuelta a España, but otherwise struggled for consistency across the year. 

Earlier in his career he established himself among the top climbers in the peloton, finishing fourth at the Tour de France, second at Paris-Nice and third at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.