Guillaume Marion, Media365, published on Monday December 16, 2024 at 9:00 p.m.
As Romain Bardet prepares to retire in a few months, the French rider from the Picnic PostNL team returned to the big regret he has regarding his career.
A few more months and Romain Bardet will finally be able to retire. Indeed, at 34, the Frenchman plans to call it quits once and for all after participating one last time in the next Critérium du Dauphiné (which will take place from June 8, 2025). But, before that, the rider from the newly named Picnic PostNL team recently received the Bernard Hinault trophy which rewards her 2024 season. After receiving this distinction, the latter notably looked back on certain moments of his great career and spoke about his big regret, during an interview with L'Équipe. “It’s clearly the flagship jersey of my career (the yellow jersey he wore after winning the 1st stage of the 2024 Tour de France). But, I worship the world champion tunic. It is the regret of my career that I did not have a second chance after 2018 and Innsbruck », recognized the native of Brioude.
Bardet: “The Covid has been there and…”
“In the week following my 2nd place in Austria behind Valverde, we made plans with Jean-Baptiste Quiclet, my coach at the time, for this 2020 World Championship, in Switzerland, in Martigny. The circuit suited me perfectly, but the Covid happened and it was finally in Imola that the race took place. My chance had passed. My son now collects jerseys, and we managed to get those from Pedersen, Cavendish and Evenepoel. The rainbow edging on the sleeves is just magnificent, Bardet subsequently explained to the French sports daily. But I don't forget this discussion, from 2013, between runners, where we each took turns exhibiting the tunic that we hoped to wear one day. I said yellow. It's done ! » Between now and his career, the Frenchman will now try to have fun in the coming months, just to complete the circle in the most beautiful way possible.
