Splendid winner of the first stage of the Tour de France in Rimini, Saturday in Italy, the Frenchman Romain Bardet donned the yellow jersey for the first time in his career. Interviewed by France 2, the rider from the DSM team admitted that he was initially aiming for the polka dot jersey to give it to his son Angus.
“At 33, it’s never too late.” Never too late to wear the yellow jersey even if this 2024 Tour de France was the last chance for Romain Bardet. The 33-year-old Frenchman, who is competing in his last Grande Boucle, therefore did not waste any time. On Saturday, during a rough first stage between Florence and Rimini, in Italy, he performed a very great performance alongside his young teammate at DSM, Frank van den Broek. Escaped, the two partners resisted the return of the peloton and Romain Bardet won and was covered in yellow. A real liberation.
Bardet: “It’s the jackpot and it’s fabulous”
“When I go to the Tour I am in a tunnel because I have the pressure of the general, of the expectations… it has eaten away at me,” he commented on the microphone of France 2. “I am lucky, here, as the leader of the team, let me be given the freedom to go all out one day and completely pick myself up the next day and do gruppetto. It paid off with a little success.”
On cloud nine, Romain Bardet shared his joy with his partner and his son Angus: “He didn’t believe it,” smiled Bardet. “Our secret goal was the polka dot jersey. That’s why I wanted to be in front today. I would have liked to bring it back to him. This is the big prize and it’s fabulous.” The Frenchman indicated that this victory and this yellow jersey would not change his position on his future. And that he therefore still intended to put his bike away for good next year, after the Dauphiné.
