It may seem strange, but theand the paths of Arnaud De Lie and David Gaudu somehow intertwine, they resemble each other, while remaining distant. One is a Belgian sprinter, the other a French climber. Both are talented, and have proven it, but at the same time they carry significant weaknesses.
But without digressing: why do the destinies of De Lie and Gaudu cross? The first is coming out of a dark period and his team, the Lot, he announced it to Tour de France. The other, however, remains outside. So the question arises: is talent enough?
The Belgian situation
De Lie hasn't had a great spring (and it's already the second one, after last year's physical problems). The Belgian, by his own admission, had mental difficulties. He took on too much pressure and this in turn put him completely out of shape. Lotto then stopped him completely, he put him right out of the team, and reset once again.
«My state of mind – De Lie said a few days ago – is completely different now. DAfter the Ghent-Wevelgem race, I was spinning my wheels. I was in a vicious circle, but now things are much better. The hardest thing, the first thing that helped me recover, was accepting those moments. Now I try to draw the positive from those negative phases. That's what I focus on: the leap has to come from within. Others can encourage you, but if you're convinced it won't work, then it never will.
De Lie spoke about his next goals: the sprints and the rolling stages of the Tour: "My goals shouldn't necessarily be focused on results. I have to be satisfied and proud. I was always upset about my placings at the beginning of the season, but that attitude didn't help me. At a certain point I thought: Who am I pedaling for? People have expectations, but I was doing it almost for others, not for myself. If I give it my all in the uphill time trial in Switzerland, for example, then I can be proud of myself. And that gives me much more satisfaction.
And that of the French
"Given my current level, I've been transparent with the team. They know my data, so we decided together to skip the Tour this year», said without too many mincing words David Gaudu, climber of the Groupama-FDJ and great hope for cycling across the Alps.
And to say that the Breton's start to the season hadn't been bad at all. He had won a stage and finished third in the Tour of Oman.
«Since then – said the FDJ team manager, Marc Madiot, who finds himself reliving something very similar that happened to him with Pinot – he was constantly in difficulty: falls, negative spirals. We tried to gradually recover him even by bringing him to Tour of Italy, but he relapsed.
And speaking of the Giro, we also have firsthand testimony. At more than one start and finish, we saw him almost "not present." Especially on the day of the Pisa time trial. We were behind the finish line waiting for... Pellizzari for an agreed interviewGaudu had left a couple of riders earlier. When he arrived, he was tired but not exhausted, like someone who is about to do a full-throttle time trial, but maybe that wasn't the direction. The masseur asked him several times if he wanted water or recovery, those now familiar purple drinks, and he didn't respond. She just kept tying her hair, now long, with the elastic band. Finally, the same masseur put the towel on his neck and showed him the way to the bus.
A scene that might not even mean anything, but in hindsight the body language was eloquent.
For the Tour you have to be 100% fit – concluded Madiot – rather than chasing the clock, we are doing a reset. The goal is to bring him back to his best level for the Return and for the season finale, up to China.
Talent yes, but crystal
In some ways, the two are reminiscent of the 1990 class that has been talked about so much: strong, pure talent, but many, some for one reason or another, have lost their way along the way. Only Romain Bardet e Mattia Cattaneo, Although they've had their stormy moments, they've stayed on track for a long time. Mattia's still going strong...
“My goals don’t necessarily have to be results-focused,” this phrase from De Lie also gives us pause for thought. He's a captain, a leader, and hearing him speak like that might not be ideal for his teammates or sponsors. However, it's a sentiment that should be respected, at least during this time of "convalescence."
And again. Vicious circle, negative spiral, relapse... these are terms that make you think. Many times we think that the life of a rider is simple: just train, eat well, and rest, and you'll automatically go fast. But that's not the case. There are much more subtle balances.
And perhaps they are even more so when there is talent and one is aware that one can (and must) demonstrate it.
