As the days go by, David Gaudu gets stronger and stronger. This Friday, on stage 19 of the Vuelta a Espana, the French climber made quite an impression at the top of the Alto de Moncalvillo. After an intense climb, he proved to be the second strongest GC rider of the day, behind the “untouchable” and new red jersey Primoz Roglic. After many attacks, the Groupama-FDJ rider was finally able to distance himself in the last kilometre to catch Enric Mas right before the summit and snatch second place. He therefore secured his fifth place overall on the eve of the “queen stage”.
Before the much talked about day featuring 5,000 meters of elevation gain to Picon Blanco on Saturday, the GC contenders, and all the others, had yet another summit finish to deal with on stage 19. One hundred and sixty-five kilometres were to be covered, and the Alto de Moncalvillo (8.5 km at 9%) was set to host a pre-fight between the favourites. Others wanted to try their luck with the breakaway, but the latter was formed with only five men after an hour of racing. “Today, we had no goal regarding the breakaway because we thought that the GC riders would fight for the victory, and we also noted that Red Bull-Bora hansgrohe wanted to control at the start”, explained Thierry. “So we preferred to stay around David because it was a day that could also be a bit tricky with the wind. In the end, we were never in trouble, he was always well surrounded, and he had a rather quiet day. In the final, we asked Reuben to pull at the front, which allowed the team to stay positioned and take the stress off everyone.” The favourites’ teams also led the chase all day to allow the big names to fight for victory, and the breakaway eventually tackled the final climb with less than twenty seconds of a gap.
“It’s great to see David back at this level”, Thierry Bricaud
Right away, Primoz Roglic’s teammates went full gas, and with six kilometres to go, the Slovenian already went away solo. “I thought they were going to do the same thing as the other time, and nobody followed because everyone was on the limit,” David said. “Everyone realized that Roglic was the strongest, and behind him, we were kind of racing each other a bit for the podium or the top five.” Yet, the 27-year-old Frenchman was the first one to open up the fight among the rest of the favourites, and he even rode a bit of the climb a few seconds ahead of his competitors. “I know I have to make up time on those behind me before the time trial, so I tried quite early, six kilometres from the finish,” said David. “We then went away with Carapaz, and given that O’Connor had dropped, it was up to him to work. He kept riding, then it came back from behind and we looked at each other a bit. Then I thought: I have to go all-in to try to make up time”. Rejoined two kilometres from the summit by his main competitors while Enric Mas was alone in second position, David Gaudu waited a few minutes before making his last, strong effort.
Before the flamme rouge, the Frenchman made a sharp acceleration, was able to drop the rest of the group, and even caught Enric Mas 200 metres from the finish to claim a superb second place at the top, forty-six seconds behind the Slovenian winner. “I gave it my all until the line, I dug quite deep, and it really feels good to finish second behind Roglic, who was untouchable,” added David. “The hierarchy that was established at the end of last week is the same this week,” said Thierry. “We know that David is one of the 4-5 best riders in the Vuelta, but you still have to stay consistent. That’s what he did perfectly today. Roglic is a bit stronger, but we realize that there is room behind him. It’s great to see David back at this level, but it mostly shows who he is. He’s someone who loves fighting and man-to-man battles. That’s what excites him. He would have preferred to win, but this second place confirms his great week. That said, we’re aware that the big day of the week, or even the big day of the Vuelta, is tomorrow.”
“We’ll take stock tomorrow”, David Gaudu
Still fifth overall, David Gaudu is now a bit over two minutes behind the podium, and a few seconds ahead of his chasers. At Picon Blanco, things should become much clearer. “In terms of confidence and morale, this Vuelta has been very successful so far”, David added. “We’ll take stock tomorrow evening because the stage is looking extremely difficult and a lot could change, for everyone. I think the podium is going to be hard to get, but I want to finish tomorrow’s stage on a very good note and then we’ll see what happens”. “It’s not going to come down to the last climb”, concluded Thierry. “Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe will control part of the day but considering the riders who want to go for the podium, those who want to make up time before the time trial, and the possible physical failings, we can expect anything. Tomorrow is the ultimate tricky day where we have no other choice but to be up there.”
