David Gaudu hid his game well… The 24-year-old Groupama-FDJ rider did not seem optimistic before tackling the choice piece of the Vuelta, an 11th stage between Villaviciosa and Alta de la Farrapona dotted with five passes to cross.
"My feelings are not terrible at the moment," slipped the Habs before the start.
A few hours later, however, it was he who raised his arms to the finish line, at the top of a final slope of 16.5 km at 6.2%.
🇫🇷👏 YESIIIIIII DAVID!
First victory on a Grand Tour for Gaudu, and first victory of a French stage on this Vuelta # LaVuelta20 #LesRP pic.twitter.com/y4XXRUeIPw
- Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) October 31, 2020
Gaudu was initially part of a group of eight runners who broke apart before exploding five kilometers from goal, when Marc Soler (Movistar) placed an acceleration.
Only Thibaut Pinot's lieutenant (forced to retire during the 3rd stage) was able to follow the Spaniard and beat him in the sprint in a very steep final.
“Today, at the start, I wasn't really very good, and then in the end, I managed to win here at the top, smiles the first French stage winner on this Tour of Spain.
When Marc Soler attacked me 500m from the finish, I saw that with the headwind he had sat down quite quickly.
I then gave everything in the last 150 meters.
It is happiness !
I hope there will be more to come… ”
In the general classification, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), second in the last Tour de France, keeps the lead, ahead of the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (Ineos) and the Irish Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation).
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