David Gaudu , one of France's leading hopes for the general classification, has confirmed he will not ride this year's Tour de France due to poor fitness.

The Groupama-FDJ leader is the second big name in France to announce his absence from the Grande Boucle this week, after Classics specialist Benoît Cosnefroy (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) had already announced his withdrawal from both the National Championships and the Tour due to a persistent knee injury.

Gaudu, fourth in the 2022 Tour de France and ninth in 2023, was due to compete in his eighth Grande Boucle this year and was expected to be one of the key home riders to watch.

"Considering my current level, I was honest with the team. They have my data and we decided together to skip the Tour this year," Gaudu said. "Racing just to get to Paris makes no sense."

The Frenchman explained that he had been chasing form all year, with four crashes this season and a broken hand at Tirreno-Adriatico making his schedule much more complicated. He finished 66th at the Giro d'Italia in May, rarely appearing in the main action and finishing, as he himself admitted, 'completely exhausted'.

For Gaudu, this is a huge disappointment, especially considering that the Tour this year passes through Brittany where his family was supposed to see him ride. Groupama-FDJ will now be banking on Guillaume Martin for a top-10 finish and a stage win.

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