Gaudu insists he will stay with Groupama-FDJ in 2027 despite Tour snub

David Gaudu has insisted that he will see out his contract with Groupama-FDJ United despite his omission from the Tour de France team. 

Le Parisien reported during the week that Gaudu would not be selected for the Tour, with the article quoting an unnamed teammate who described him as a “frustrating mystery” with “fewer and fewer supporters within the team.”

Gaudu has struggled for results in 2026 and Sunday’s French Championships road race will be his first outing since he placed fifth at Boucle de l’Aulne in mid-May. The Frenchman’s current contract with Groupama-FDJ expires at the end of 2027.

Speaking ahead of the French Championships, Gaudu confirmed that he did not expect to earn a place in the Tour selection, pointing out that he had not attended an altitude camp in May as he was awaiting the birth of his first child.

“No,” Gaudu said, according to L’Équipe. “To be honest, I didn’t do a training camp in May because we were getting very close to the due date, even though it was later than expected. I’m not in the right shape to perform well in the Tour, so I’d rather give my place to another rider who can help the team in their quest for a stage win.’

Gaudu pushed back against the substance of the article in Le Parisien, however, insisting that he retained his motivation to compete at the top level. The Breton placed fourth overall at the 2022 Tour de France and sixth at the 2024 Vuelta a España, but he fell well short on GC in his two Grand Tour appearances last season.

“If I didn’t have the desire, I wouldn’t train, I wouldn’t push myself, I wouldn’t be competing…” Gaudu said.  

“I’m still motivated, I get a huge amount of enjoyment out of it. A chapter of my life has obviously come to an end with the arrival of my child a week ago, so I see things differently now… But I still get a huge amount of enjoyment out of cycling.”

The 29-year-old has spent his entire professional career with Groupama-FDJ United, and he insisted that he would still be at the team in 2027, the final year of his existing contract. At the start of the season, Groupama-FDJ United manager Thierry Cornec backed Gaudu’s aspirations for a top 10 finish at the Tour, but his underwhelming start to the season has cooled that enthusiasm.

L’Équipe reported earlier this week that the team held discussions with Gaudu’s agent Christophe Le Mével in the spring regarding the possibility of releasing him from his contract or reducing his salary.

“I’ve got a contract, and all parties have signed it…” Gaudu said. “I’m training, I’m doing what’s required. We’ll see the contract through to the end, and perhaps after that a new chapter will begin. But we’re still under contract until next year.”

Gaudu also brushed aside the idea that he would struggle to work for his team and their leader Romain Grégoire at the French Championships after the criticisms that were aired in the article published by Le Parisien.

“I’ll do everything I can to ensure a colleague gets the jersey,” Gaudu said. “I couldn’t care less about the controversy of the last few days and I won’t be answering any more questions on the matter.”