The 17th stage of the Vuelta a Epsana attracted a lot of attention with a summit finish by Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) and Richard Calapaz (Ineos Grenadiers), but it was David Gaudoux (Groupama-FDJ) who won his second stage win of the day He moved up from 11th to 8th in the overall standings before the final stage to Madrid.

Gaudou and teammate Bruno Almirail broke away in the early kilometers to join a 30+ man breakaway, and the French duo put in a near flawless performance despite being outclassed by UAE Team Emirates. Almirail, who also contributed to Gordou's first stage win early in the race, led for most of the day, burning out several of his breakaway rivals before Gordou scored the victory on the final climb of the Alto de la Covatilla.

Gordou had to cut through a group of three who attacked before the final climb, but he held off Gino Mader (NTT Pro Cycling) and Ion Izaguirre (Astana) to win. With this victory, Gaudou moved up to 8th place, his best result in a Grand Tour, and team leader Thibaut Pinot returned home, capping a dramatic comeback for the Frenchman who had struggled with time loss in the early days of the race.

"Frankly, I thought it would be difficult to get into the breakaway group in the third week because the overall fight would be so intense.

"I thought about it this morning. And the weather was great. It was an instinctive day. Days like this are exceptional."

"I was already very happy, even ecstatic, to win the first stage. Winning the second stage was the icing on the cake and to be in the top 10 means we have achieved the goal we set ourselves. The Vuelta was already a success, but two wins and a final top 10 made it even more successful. We signed up for it from the start."

Gaudou admitted that his stage 17 victory was only possible because of Almirail's work. The 26-year-old was consistently at the front of the 150-km breakaway for nearly all of the stage, single-handedly holding his own against UAE Team Emirates riders looking to win the stage and push David de la Cruz into the top 10. The Spaniard achieved the latter goal and will head to Madrid in seventh place overall, but Armirail played a key role in keeping the breakaway group out of sight and creating a chance for a stage win.

"The UAE and I were riding all day. We controlled it well, it went well, and I felt very good," said a rather reserved Armirail.

"Yesterday I said that today's results were a good sign. I think we proved that, it was exactly the same as a week ago and it was great to be up front with David. I ran as long as I could, as much as I could. I did my best for him and the effort paid off.

Almirail's run greatly impressed the management of Grupama FDJ, and Thierry Brillaud praised his commitment and work ethic.

"His run today was nothing compared to what he usually does. On difficult and tiring stages, in the middle and high mountains, when serving a leader, he is never as good as this kind of effort. And even more so when it is a respected figure like David. By the way, I explained this to Bruno at the start of the Vuelta. I explained it to Bruno at the start of the Vuelta, because I knew he would be very strong in some stages. He is very generous and sometimes wastes his strength unnecessarily. We tried to manage these stages well with him and I think it worked. We tried to manage these stages well with him and I think it worked out well, because in the end when they gave him carte blanche, he always responded and was very strong. This allowed him to not only set very good times in the time trial, but also to lead David to victory twice. David is very strong, but he owes his victory to him."

Gaudo's top 10 overall solidifies his status as a future GC option within the French team. He has been considered Pinto's successor for several seasons now, and while plans for next year are not yet complete, the Vuelta has proven Gaud's continued growth

"David has got the logical thread of his career. He is improving every year. This year was special, but to end the season like this confirms that constant evolution. The first week was a bit difficult, but he gradually got better. It will give us certainty for his future in the Grand Tours and that's a very good thing," Bricot added.