Romain Bardet began his Tour with the yellow jersey but said the rest of the race was like nothing he had experienced before. After the race, he spoke with L’Équipe, saying the three weeks of racing were extraordinary.
“This is one of the toughest Tours de France I have ever raced. The paces are incredible; the tempos are nothing like my prime years. There are 40 more watts over an hour, which means it’s 10 per cent faster. On Saturday, just out of curiosity, I slipped into the wheels of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard when they caught up to us, and it was the same observation—it’s impressive. We have truly entered a new era. When I see the level of the top eleven in the general classification, it’s monumental. It’s too fast,” he said.
The last dance for Romain Bardet
Bardet, 33, will retire at the end of the season. In his career, the Frenchman won four stages at the Tour, as well as second overall in the 2016 edition. In 2019, he won the polka dot jersey. He’s raced the Tour de France 11 times and believes that changes are happening and will continue in the future.
“In the coming years, the Tour will be inaccessible for many riders and is currently out of reach for all French riders. Fortunately, I didn’t aim for the general classification this year; it would have been horrible: at my best level, it would have already been excellent to finish alongside Giulio Ciccone and Santiago Buitrago,” he said. “I have a lot respect for these guys who are still fighting for the overall classification.”
Difficult for opportunists
As many have noticed in the commentary, this year’s Tour was marked by stage wins taken by the best of the best. There were very few wildcard stage wins by lesser-known cyclists, unlike in the past.
“On the other hand, even among the best climbers of the Tour, say, Enric Mas or Simon Yates didn’t have the keys to win. There were six stages for Pogačar, three for Biniam Girmay, three for Jasper Philipsen. So, this left few opportunities for attackers; there was no opportunity,” the Team DSM-Firmenich rider said. “The two armadas, UAE Emirates and Visma – Lease A Bike, were never in trouble; they always had control.”
One plus to a faster Tour
The only benefit to the increased pace this year, Bardet said, was that he wasn’t as drained as in years past.
“I don’t feel as burnt out as when I have finished some Tours because I rode at my own pace when I wanted to. It was great to race…
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