If Tour de France leader Tadej Pogačar’s near-debacle on the Col du Granon caused the most surprise on stage 11, Frenchman Romain Bardet (Team DSM) has made an unexpected but impressive entry into a GC battle which he had previously said was not his primary objective in this year’s race.
After targeting the Giro d’Italia, and racing strongly, but being forced out due to falling sick in the second week, Bardet said he would be aiming for stage wins in the Tour.
That might be so, but his consistently high placings on the crunch stages of the opening third of the 2022 Tour de France have now been followed with a third place on the Granon and a provisional second place overall.
Bardet counter-attacked after Vingegaard had gone up the road, quickly opening enough of a gap to stay ahead of a flailing but resilient Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and the rider previously second on the GC, Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).
Third at the summit, the previous double podium finisher in the Tour de France has now gained five spots on GC to move ahead of Thomas and into second place, 2:16 down on Vingegaard, and as such, his closest challenger overall.
“That was very tough,” Bardet told France 2 Television after the stage. “Things began to go flat out from the Col du Télegraphe onwards and it just didn’t stop.
“I had to handle my strength very carefully, but my legs responded well. It was a very good day.”
Bardet was dropped by both Vingegaard and Pogačar close towards the summit of the Galibier, like most of the other favourites, but managed to regain contact as they sped down towards the Granon.
Having thanked the team for their considerable help during the day, the Frenchman said he had expected a very challenging ascent of the final climb. And so it proved.
“We had all taken a bit of a hit on the previous climb, the Galibier, and that definitely made a difference,” he concluded. “So I am going to rest well tonight for sure.
“Tomorrow is another big battle in the Alps and then we’ll see how things look after that. I’ve got a lot of fans on the roadside, but we’re only halfway through.”
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