The Tour of Oman officially begins today, and there's already a sense of Giro d'Italia preparation in the air. Yesterday we told you about Adam Yates' all-in approach to the pink race, but in the peloton there's someone else aiming to do well in the Italian stage race, hoping to finally reach a grand tour podium. David Gaudu is 28 years old and throughout his career has tried multiple times to perform well in the Tour and Vuelta, achieving some good results, but this year he has decided to change everything from preparation to races and thus attempt a very different approach to competitions.

"I finished 2024 with a top ten at Il Lombardia that gave me a nice boost to try to dare and substantially change everything. Usually during winter I would do three weeks of altitude training in Tenerife, but this time I reduced it to 12 days and focused on specific work. I did less mountain training, worked a lot on flat and rolling terrain, I don't know if completely overhauling everything will help me or not, but I asked myself why not try? I particularly took care of time trials, which have never been my strength, but now more than ever they are fundamental if you want to win a grand tour. I also tried something new with races, I asked the team to try races I've never done before like Oman and I'm happy they accepted my request. I'm very motivated and curious to see if all these changes have produced good results." Gaudu tells us, seeming truly enthusiastic about the new changes and can't wait to see how his body will react. After the Tour of Oman, he will start Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo, and Tour de Romandie before diving into the pink race.

On paper, the Tour of Oman is the perfect testing ground to open the season, especially because with two mountain finishes there will be a real opportunity to put oneself to the test. "In previous years I've heard a lot of good things about this race and it really intrigued me, particularly what Adam Yates did in 2024: he started great in Oman and then had a fantastic season," Gaudu continues. "Unlike the UAE Tour which is currently more famous, here the climbs are much harder with significant gradient difficulties where you can truly test yourself. Here there's also a very important unknown factor which is the wind, which could completely change the entire race."

For the French athlete, all choices from now until May will be focused on the Giro, a race he has always viewed from afar but which has always intrigued him. "For me it has a special charm, it's almost a mythical race that I've heard every kind of story about. Some say it's always cold, there's rain and even snow, but most importantly there are different climbs each year and they're very complicated. I'm really curious to see what's on the other side, watching it on TV it always seemed beautiful to me, there are so many fans on the roadside cheering for everyone, and let's remember there's pizza and pasta, after all we are in Italy..." Gaudu tells us jokingly, who has already started studying the route. On paper, the course isn't extremely difficult, but without Pogacar and Vingegaard among the starters, the challenge looks wide open and even more interesting. "One of the stages that worries me the most is the gravel-style stage on white roads, but I think it will be truly spectacular. Many believe the absence of Tadej and Jonas makes everything easier, but that's not actually true. There are many athletes aiming to win the pink race like Roglic, Carapaz who are often underestimated, and the Yates brothers; with Adam I'll have a first confrontation here in Oman, we'll see in the next few days how he's doing."

Tomorrow at the Tour of Oman, the mountain finish at Yitti Hills is scheduled, a first major test for the season, and given the common goal of Adam Yates and David Gaudu, a great battle can be expected.