The great momentum he’s been enjoying for a few weeks finally paid off. On Sunday, David Gaudu confirmed his excellent form by winning the closing stage of the Tour de Luxembourg, after an intense and hard-fought final in the capital of the Grand Duchy. A solo winner thanks to an explosive attack one kilometre from the finish, the Frenchman secured his second win of the season, and he also climbed on the final podium of the event (3rd). A very good day before the last big goals of the year.
The week of racing in Luxembourg was to come to an end this Sunday with a final stage of 177 kilometres towards the capital and no less than 3,000 metres of elevation gain to cope with. So nothing was done regarding the GC, especially since the final circuit, to be done three times, looked rather dynamic with two climbs over just eleven kilometres. Yet, the fight began much earlier in the day. From the start in Mersch, on a hilly first part of the race, the strong men quickly stood out. “Van der Poel only had two teammates, so we expected a big fight,” said Benoît. “But since the best defense is attacking, Van der Poel himself attacked and caused a big mess. Seventeen riders came out with almost all the GC guys.” Up there alongside his rivals, David Gaudu just made sure to “follow the wheels” while waiting for the race to calm down. This finally happened after seventy kilometres, and three men then formed the proper breakaway, which the peloton controlled all day. “We wanted to be in front with Valentin, but he didn’t manage to bridge across,” added David. “So we waited, and waited, and the guys did an incredible job all day to keep me in a good position.”
“We had to risk it all,” Benoît Vaugrenard
On the finishing circuit, even before crossing the line, the peloton really increased the pace, and UAE Team Emirates went full gas for the first time up the steep climb (800m at 9%) located just one kilometre from the finish. The bunch temporarily split apart, but then got back together, and the first counterattacks occurred. The leading duo eventually kept on going until the next lap, when Marc Hirschi and Mathieu van der Poel made another big push. David Gaudu joined the main favourites at the top after he had to close a small gap, and he therefore started the last lap together with his rivals. “We knew we had to anticipate,” added Benoît. “We were a bit frustrated on Friday because we got kind of trapped with everybody looking at each other. We said that we had to risk it all today to win, and not wait for the last climb. We wanted to go all-in on the last lap, even if it meant losing everything, but we didn’t want to settle for seventh place overall. We kind of knew that Van der Poel and Hirschi were going to look at each other, and that’s exactly what happened. David was able to take advantage of it, but that’s also because he was very strong. It’s one thing to say it, it’s another to execute it”.
Thanks to a sharp acceleration eight kilometres from the finish, at the start of a more rolling climb, David Gaudu was able to take place in a leading quartet with Antonio Tiberi, Quinn Simmons and Jordan Jegat. “I was more than 30 seconds back on the general classification, so I wanted to take a gap before the last climb,” said David. “I felt really good today, and I found myself with Tiberi, who was really strong. I gambled a bit about the fact that he was ahead of me on GC to save a bit of energy in the downhill and flat sections.” The leading group managed to get a thirty-second gap as it headed towards the final climb, and victory then seemed really possible. In Tiberi’s wheel at the bottom of the hill, David Gaudu waited a few moments before making his final effort. “I knew it was going to be difficult in the sprint, so on the last climb I said to myself: go all-in in the last 300 meters, all the way to the top, and with the adrenaline, that will be enough until the finish”, said David. “That’s what happened.” “I was pretty confident, even I was a bit worried of Simmons because he hadn’t pulled at all,” said Benoît. “But David was really very strong, and when I saw him attack, I realized that it was done”.
“I want to take advantage of my good form,” David Gaudu
With another strong attack, the Breton gradually distanced himself from his three rivals, and finally clearly dropped them before tackling the downhill to the finish. After a well-controlled final kilometre, he claimed a solo victory on the closing stage of the Tour de Luxembourg, and therefore had plenty of time to celebrate his second victory of the season. “It’s just wonderful,” he said immediately after the finish line. “I’ve been in good shape for a while, and it didn’t work out as we hoped on Friday. It’s a super good feeling today. I spent a difficult year and a half on my bike, and I think that for a rider, crossing the finish line first is the best thing in the world.” “Above all, it’s well deserved,” added Benoît. “David was at the top of his game today. He came out of the Vuelta in good shape, and we knew he could be strong, or even very strong here. That was confirmed as the days went by.” Thanks to a nice gap on the line, the Frenchman also climbed on the race’s final podium, in third position behind Tiberi and Van der Poel. “We came here to win a stage and do well in the general classification,” added Benoît. “We finished in the best possible way, so we can say that the balance is very good.”
For David Gaudu, this is also a great reward after a successful Vuelta, which he however finished without a stage win. “He finished the Vuelta with a growing shape, not a decreasing one, so we knew that it could be very interesting for the end of the season,” concluded Benoît. “This is indeed interesting! He now has a big goal next Sunday at the World Championships, where he could have a nice role to play considering his form. He will be in the mix, that’s for sure, we now have to see the tactics. In any case, it bodes well for the races to come.” “We have a very good French national team, and I can’t wait to discover what briefing Thomas [Voeckler] is going to put together for us,” said David. “I’m extremely motivated, and my confidence is high. After the World Championships, there will be the Italian classics. I want to take advantage of my good form until Lombardy and starting from next week!”
