"He was taking those corners like a madman" - Romain Bardet denied stage win at final Giro by Isaac del Toro

In the final Grand Tour of his career, Romain Bardet is still searching for his first ever Giro d'Italia stage win. The Frenchman couldn't have come much closer than he did on stage 17 either, only to be denied in a thrilling finale by the Maglia Rosa, Isaac del Toro.

Having been part of the breakaway all day, Bardet was the only rider able to stay up ahead at the top of the final climb of the day. On the descent though, he was caught by Del Toro and Richard Carapaz. "That’s exactly why I saved myself yesterday. I believed in my chances and I rode well, even though our breakaway group didn’t get much of a gap," began Bardet's post-stage reflections with Sporza at the finish line. "But even then, I still believed I could win."

Ultimately though, the arrival of the fresher Carapaz and Del Toro to the front ensured there would be no farewell stage win for Bardet. Not on this day at least. "The finish was very technical, and I had studied every detail. Whoever came through that final corner first was going to win," explains the Team Picnic PostNL star. "Carapaz lost Del Toro’s wheel — he was taking those corners like a madman. The road had started to get wet — it was truly impressive. He opened a five-meter gap and that was it."