David Gaudoux was all smiles as he entered the mixed zone Thursday after the announcement of the 2023 Tour de France route, which will have the fewest time trial sections since time trials were first included in the Tour in 1934.

"It will be a Tour de France for pure climbers.

"This is probably my favorite route since I started riding the Tour. It's a time trial with lots of mountains and climbs."

The course features summit finishes at Cautaret, Puy de Dome, Grand Colombier, and Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc, but Gaudoux confesses that he was initially turned off by the time trial on stage 16 from Passy to Combreux.

This 22km course is not quite a mountain trial, but there are enough climbs, including the Côte de Domancy, where Bernard Inaud competed in the World Championships in the 1980s, to somewhat soften the difficulty for Gaudoux.

"The time trial will make or break the race, but it will be less penalizing than the completely flat 22km time trial.

Other highlights include the finish of the Puy de Dome on stage 9, the first return to the course since 1938, which Gaudoux said "will be a tribute to Raymond Pridor," while the Tour will cross the Pass de la Rosé to reach Courchevel, the 17th He predicted that the Tour would have its toughest day on stage 17, which crosses the Pass de la Rose and arrives in Courchevel.

"Obviously, there are stages with 5,000 meters of altitude gain. The climb up the Col de la Rose will be legendary," Gaudoux said.

"The start in Bilbao will be a big celebration. We know how they will greet the race in the Basque Country. The Pyrenees will come early and there is an explosive stage in the Vosges on the last weekend."

Gordou admitted that the Tour route "reinforced the idea that I will be back there next year," but in reality, the 26-year-old was never likely to miss La Grande Boucle. He has competed in the Tour every season since 2018 and made the leap last July, finishing fourth overall in Paris thanks to a series of consistent performances.

"Proving that I could be consistent over three weeks gave me the desire and the confidence," Gordou said.

"Now I have to be consistent and strong again. In any case, I won't be satisfied just because I finished fourth in the Tour again. If I go to the Tour de France next year, of course I will be aiming for the podium."