In the relatively short, yet very hard queen stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, David Gaudu kept on improving this Saturday. In the climb to Samoëns 1600, the Frenchman managed to follow the best for a long time, and eventually reached the summit in fourteenth position, about two minutes behind the winner and yellow jersey Primoz Roglic. He now sits in sixteenth place overall before the closing stage towards the Plateau des Glières.
Four classified climbs, three of which in first category, as well as the HC climb of Samoëns 1600 as a conclusion. This was the riders’ menu throughout the 155 kilometers of racing from Albertville this Saturday on stage 7 of the Critérium du Dauphiné. With an uphill start from the former Olympic city, the riders spent some time on the rollers before setting off, and it proved quite useful. Quentin Pacher, Romain Grégoire and Valentin Madouas all took part in the fight for the breakaway, but it was ultimately Kevin Geniets who managed to go in the Col des Saisies after more than twenty kilometers. After an intense chase, the Luxembourger joined the leading group, which was then made up of ten riders. “The goal was to put Quentin, Valentin or Kevin in the break and see what would happen next,” explained Benoît. “Today, we knew that there would inevitably be a rider well placed overall in the break. So the break had little chance of making it to the end. However, we had Kevin in front, and that’s always useful.” “It was an important stage today and I wanted to be in the break,” explained Kevin. “I followed Barguil into the first climb, then we rode very fast in front all day.”
“I wanted to see what my limits were”, David Gaudu
Together with Marc Soler, Lorenzo Fortunato, Davide Formolo or Guillaume Martin, Kevin Geniets gained up to 4’30 at the head of the race. The Col de la Ramaz (14 km at 7%) then came with about fifty kilometres to go, and after a few minutes, the breakaway split apart and Marc Soler went alone. Kevin Geniets was distanced and got back into the bunch after the summit of this penultimate climb. “Overall, I am satisfied,” he added. “I think I didn’t eat enough. It was a small mistake, but we are on the right track towards the next goals. The primary objective was to get back into racing rhythm after my long break and my broken hand. It will definitely come back, and I was able to help in the most important stages.” In the valley leading to the climb of Samoëns 1600, David Gaudu could still count on his four teammates still in contention, since Clément Russo didn’t start today due to Thursday’s crash. The peloton tackled the final climb four minutes after Marc Soler, and therefore did not lose time. From the bottom, a high tempo was set, and the yellow jersey group reduced significantly.
After he received the support of his teammate and French champion for a few minutes, David Gaudu managed to keep up the high pace of the best for half of the climb. “It went very fast,” assured Benoît. “David had to let go four kilometres from the finish when there were only twelve left in the GC group. The last four kilometers were hard for him, but he held on well beforehand.” “Yesterday, I was at the limit, but I managed my effort,” explained David. “Today, I wanted to see what my limits were in my current form. I was really about to explode when I dropped, then I finished as best I could, with everything I had. It was a different strategy from yesterday. I wanted to test myself against the other big guys and see how many of them there would be left before I was distanced.” Twelve riders were still in front of him when he lost contact, then Remco Evenepoel came back from behind and passed him in the last two kilometres. At the summit, where Primoz Roglic won, David Gaudu therefore took fourteenth place, 2’18 down. “The goal was for him to test himself with the best and to work for the future, on a real mountain stage,” concluded Benoît. “He fought well today. We’re still a little far from the best, let’s be honest, but we’re here to work. He has come a long way with all the issues he has had since the start of the year. You have to go through this kind of painful stage to improve for the future.”
“The breakaway might have a chance tomorrow”, Benoît Vaugrenard
His day’s performance also allowed him to climb to sixteenth position overall. “In terms of results, it’s better than yesterday,” said David at the finish. “In the end, I think the form is not that bad considering we’re on the Critérium du Dauphiné. I saw where I stood compared to the other big names. There is still room for improvement, but I’m where I belong given my current form.” Another day in the mountains is still on the program on this Critérium du Dauphiné, towards the Plateau des Glières on Sunday. “It will be another strong fight for the breakaway,” said Benoît. “We will start with the Col de la Forclaz, so we might find strong men and climbers up front, like today. There are also more gaps overall, so the breakaway might have a chance tomorrow.”
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