Romain Bardet will be at the start of his 11th and final Tour de France which starts this Saturday June 29 from Florence in Italy. The Frenchman has never felt so relaxed ahead of the Grande Boucle where he will only aim for stage victories.
This Friday morning, Romain Bardet (33 years old) can still enjoy a few hours of calm before the storm of the first stage which starts this Saturday, June 29 from Florence. On the outskirts of the Renaissance city, at the hotel where the team is staying dsm-firmenich PostNLthe Auvergne answered questions from the media, including TotalVelo, present on site for the event. The opportunity to look back on his personal ambitions which are no longer at all the same as when he started in the professional world. Romain Bardet also spoke about his feelings as he approaches his final Tour.
Romain Bardet: “I don’t feel any pressure today”
“I’ve had to deal with pressure for a decade, so I’m used to it. But paradoxically, I don’t feel any at all. It’s the Tour de France that I’m approaching in the most relaxed way. I had a great start to the season with the Giro, so I know that the preparation for the Tour is more risky, but that’s great because I’m not aiming for the general classification. I’m approaching this Tour in a slightly new way, but we’ll see on the road, because only the road will tell the truth,” highlighted The bard.
“I’m not going to improve my mark on the Tour de France, but it’s still important for me, on my last, to do something special”admitted the Frenchman, who despite the little pressure felt and a lack of interest in the general classification this year, hopes to shine in the mountains and win a fourth stage victory on the Big loop in his career.
“It’s really the first time that I’ve approached the Tour without ambition in the general classification and maybe I’ll lose 20 minutes on Saturday. I no longer have the desire or the legs to be there for three weeks. I no longer want to have this goal of consistency, no longer having to defend every single second every day. It’s a big weight off my shoulders. It’s also felt in my external behavior.”said Romain Bardet who hopes to have the field clear as quickly as possible to slip into breakaways in order to play for stage victories.
The Frenchman hopes to be able to play his personal card from the first race weekend, on the occasion of the second stage linking Cesenatino to Bologna with the San Luca coast, usually taken on the Emilie’s Tower and that the Auvergne region knows very well. “On this stage we will surely have the first real battle between favorites, but personally I hope to be in the breakaway from the second day and I also have stage 4 in mind (stage joining Pinerolo to Serre Chevalier via the Col du Galibier, editor’s note). »
Romain Bardet: “The only regret is not having played to win another Grand Tour other than the Tour de France”
Going back in time, Romain Bardet expressed himself on the fact of having had some regrets of having left almost every year on the Tour de Franceeach time with the objective of aiming for the general classification and not having played it on another grand tour by ignoring the Big loop. “There were mistakes and perhaps an obstinacy in staying on the Tour de France and my only regret is not having played for victory on another grand tour than the Tour de France. It’s a shame not to have dedicated a whole season to trying to win the Giro for example. In 2019, after my disappointing 2018 Tour, I had a window at that time, but it quickly passed. However, failures and all my experiences have made me grow.”
