David Gaudoux stepped up in 2021, but the 25-year-old Groupama-FDJ rider, who continues his journey from Thibaut Pinot's understudy to team leader, is a rising star in French cycling who is looking to make another leap forward in 2022.

Last season he finished 3rd in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 5th in the Tour of the Basque Country (including a stage win), and had top 10 finishes in the Flèche Wallonne and Tour of Lombardy In 2022 he will compete in the Ardennes Classic and Tour de France and team leader with Pinot and Michael Stohler.

"I was able to finish the season in the top 20 of the UCI world rankings. My goal is to turn top-10s into top-fives, top-fives into podiums, and podiums into wins." [I especially like Flèche (Wallonne) and Liège (Bastogne-Liège). Flèche, finishing in Mulle de Huy, is one of my best finishes of the season, and Liège is a race I still dream of winning."

This time 12 months ago, the Breton was seen as Thibaut Pinot's chief domestique in the mountain stages of the Tour de France. Hungry for success, the 25-year-old seized this opportunity with both hands and overcame the pressure of leadership.

"Being the leader of a team in a big race is a chance to build confidence in yourself, given that the team trusts you and the team is specially built around you. Certainly, the situation helps me to aim higher and I like that pressure," Gordou told Cycling News at the online Groupama-FDJ team launch.

"When you finish a really good season, it gives you a lot of confidence. Every season you have to zero in on your counters and start over from the beginning. We must not be complacent."

Gaudo has had solid results in Italy, especially in the fall classics, finishing sixth in Milan-Torino and seventh in Il Lombardia. He also expressed a desire to compete in the 2022 Giro d'Italia. However, this is not in his program and he understands the need to prioritize his home Grand Tour.

"The Tour de France is a race where the team wants to shine, especially as a French team; it is a very important race of the year and a way to give back to our sponsors," Gordou said.

"We haven't won anything in the Tour since 2019, so given our competitiveness and motivation, we feel obligated to aim for success in the Tour.

As for the Tour de France, Gaudoux could not say who would lead the race, noting that team manager Marc Madiot said the goal is a podium finish to back up the collective effort. The season and the early races will determine who will ultimately be the leader, and whoever is the leader, the result will be a show of strength by the entire team.

Contrary to last year, faced with the prospect of Gordou ending up as team rider rather than leader, personal goals aside, the 11th place rider of the 2021 Tour de France was realistic.

"Well, being a leader in the Tour is something I really want. But the season hasn't started yet and I will have the chance to express myself in the races. The goal of the Tour is to get the best possible result and to show the collective strength of the team to get the best possible position on GC."

Last year, he suffered heat exhaustion in the Mont Ventoux stage and finished 25 minutes behind the winner.

"Well, that was the only time I was off last year. That happened on a bad day, that's for sure. It can happen to anyone, any day. Is it really a concern for me? I will be back in the Tour this year and I will be in top shape. I hope it doesn't happen again.

"As Marc [Madiot] said, we are ready to fight. We're going into training camp now and we're looking forward to the season starting.

Gaudo will start the season on February 16 at the Tour of the Algarve in Portugal, followed by the Trofeo de Laigueglia. The first big test will be Paris-Nice in early March.