David Gaudu second at ASICS SaintéLyon trail running race

Groupama-FDJ’s David Gaudu is the latest WorldTour rider to lace up his running shoes, participating in the ASICS SaintéLyon trail running race on Saturday. Despite challenging conditions, including freezing temperatures and snow-covered hills between Saint-Étienne and Lyon, and with a team training camp on the horizon, Gaudu was stoked to get on with the race, despite the midnight start, as reported by L’Équipe.

Racers gonna race

Several riders have recently traded their cycling cleats for running shoes. Michał Kwiatkowski ran a marathon, Jasper Philipsen won a frigid half-marathon, and retired Canadian pro Christian Meier won a 150-km race. (The 2008 Canadian national road race champ is a big fan of the sport, particularly the ultras.) Tour de France stage winner Michael Woods began his athletic career as a runner, having run a sub-four-minute mile.

None of the current WorldTour riders can compare to pro road rider and Ironman Cam Wurf. In 2020, he ran a half-marathon after the Great Ocean Road Race. After finishing the 2023 Paris-Roubaix, the Ineos-Grenadiers rider went out for a 20 km run. Speaking of tris, recently retired pro Greg Van Avermaet won a gravel triathlon in Girona in October. After losing a bet, current CX and road world champion Mathieu van Der Poel says he will try an Ironman as well.

Mathieu van der Poel lost a bet and has to do an Ironman now

Gaudu shared his perspective on trail running. “I think trail running is the closest thing to cycling in terms of effort. It’s a fight against yourself, like in a mountain pass,” he said. “There are adversaries, of course, but above all, it’s about pushing your limits; you only rely on yourself.” When asked about his choice of the ASICS SaintéLyon challenge this winter, the 27-year-old explained that it had long been a personal challenge between him and his friend, former French national trail running champion Alexandre Fine.

Competing in the 78 km two-man relay race with Fine, which involved over 2,000 m of elevation gain, Gaudu completed the first half before his teammate took over for the closing kilometres, taking a second-place finish. Gaudu reflected on the experience, saying, “It was a challenge between friends. It gets me off the bike. It’s good for my head because I’ve always loved running, and it works the muscles a little. Thibaut Pinot always did cross-country skiing in winter; it’s his passion. For me, it’s the trail!”