"A special moment, he gave a lot for me" - Emotional Warren Barguil says fond farewell to retiring Maxime Bouet at Giro dell'Emilia

Warren Barguil rode to a 10th placed finish at the 2023 Giro dell'Emilia amongst elite company on Saturday, in what was his final race alongside trusted teammate Maxime Bouet.

Bouet will retire from professional cycling at the end of the season and for Barguil, it's a big loss. "The Giro dell'Emilia was the last race that I competed in with Maxime Bouet who is for me a friend before being a teammate," Barguil told his Team Arkea Samsic team post-race. "It was obviously a special moment, because he gave a lot for me over the last six years . The 'goodbye' on the bus was very emotional."

As mentioned, 10th place was what Barguil was forced to settle for on the day. Although he always has intentions on winning, it's a positive performance from the Frenchman when looking at the eventual winner Primoz Roglic and the remainder of the podium Tadej Pogacar and Simon Yates.

"Regarding the race I had a good day, my legs were fine. I'm not missing much in the penultimate lap to accompany the group new, ahead. I have a hint of disappointment because I probably mismanaged my climb, so during the final ascent, I started from the bottom and did everything at full speed," he recaps. "I am happy with my feelings and this end of the season, I worked a lot, and I see that it is paying off."