DSM-Firmenich PostNL DS doesn't give up on Romain Bardet just yet: "If he loses more time we will have to switch to stage victories"
Cycling
Romain Bardet was – alongside Thymen Arensman – one of the defeated in the opening stage of Giro d'Italia. Not so long after cameras showed the Ineos rider struggling, we saw the Frenchman from Team dsm-Firmenich PostNL also drop out of the front group.
In the end, the French leader of the team lost nearly a minute to Tadej Pogacar and fifteen seconds less to the rest of the favorites. "On the climb, Romain gave us the message via the race radio that he was not feeling too well, that was the first what we heard from him," said sports director Matt Winston in a press release.
Read also
"Chris and Kevin had first positioned themselves at the front of the peloton to put Romain in position, but waited for him. This ensured that we were able to properly limit the damage. He had dropped quite far at one point, but our boys rode hard in the chase."
"Riders are human, it is normal that they have good and bad days. Today was a bad day, something you wouldn't hope to experience on opening day, but it is what it is. We still have three weeks to go and a lot of riding to be done. I think the rankings will be shaken up in the next three weeks. If we just make progress now and don't lose more time, then that's good. Otherwise we will have to switch to looking for stage victories."
Read also

Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment









