'I don't know what happened' - Gaudu puzzled after shipping time at the Vuelta
David Gaudu was in a Vuelta dreamland in the opening stages, sitting in the red jersey after taking a spectacular win at Ceres by out-punching the powerful Mads Pedersen to the line on stage 3. However, in the past two mountain stages, it's gone from bad to worse for Gaudu, as the Frenchman has started to freefall down the pecking order. He now sits 15:33 behind red jersey Torstein Træen. Gaudu spoke to L'Equipe after stage 7 and discussed what went wrong for him
Stage 7 was the worst of the lot for Gaudu as he finished 14:51 down on stage winner Juan Ayuso, Speaking to L'Equipe, Gaudu said: "I don't know what happened, I don't have a good feeling. Already yesterday [Thursday], I didn't have a good feeling, on the [team] time trial [Wednesday] I was a bit average, so let's say that it's getting worse every day. I hung on but it really wasn't going well. That's how it is."
"Honestly, I don't have an explanation, and neither does the team. I was at my best two days ago [stage win] and now, I don't know, it's really not responding at all. My heart rate isn't rising anymore, it's complicated, I can't develop any power, so I'm a bit "blocked", that's how it is, too bad."
In recent years, Gaudu has been trying to get back to his best shape, including his fine performance at the 2023 Paris-Nice and his fourth-place in the GC at the 2022 Tour de France. He hasn't be able to live up to that in 2025, as his performances have been a mixed bunch.
"I said I wasn't there for the general classification, so when I was pushing hard and I gave up, I thought I might as well take a quarter of an hour and be far behind in the general classification, see what we can do in the second or third week rather than hanging on, still being ranked and having to fight again in the next few days," Gaudu said. "At least, it takes a weight off my shoulders and we'll be able to run much more freely, it'll be easier. We'll try to get my legs back and we'll see after that."
Last year, Gaudu placed sixth in the general classification at the Vuelta at the end of a 2024 campaign that was ever so similar to this season, as he struggled to find his best shape before late August. After slipping out of the GC, Gaudu will look to add his stage win between here and Madrid.
