"I had my wife and kid in the car encouraging me which was an incredible experience" - Romain Bardet enjoyed the last Tour de France stage of his career to the fullest

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL saw only five of their rider reach the finish line in Nice, but that doesn't take away from their achievement on the very first day of the Grande Boucle.

It took Romain Bardet ten Tour de France participations, but on the opening day from Firenze to Rimini, everything fell into place. Along with young teammate Frank van den Broek, the Frenchman took his first ever yellow jersey. And while it's not common in the Bardet house, they'll definitely find a spot to hang the Maillot Jaune on a wall.

It was rather unusual feeling for the 33-year-old to conclude Tour elsewhere than in Paris, but it wasn't all that bad, he assures. "Today was an amazing experience," Bardet expressed in a press communication after the final time trial. "I wanted to have a good rhythm on the climb. I know the area quite well so I did a good descent. I had my wife and kid in the car encouraging me which was an incredible experience, I’m so grateful to the team for this moment."

"I’m glad that I had the support from all of the team, they were amazing on that first day, especially Frank. I have to thank them for giving me that amazing opportunity, I’m really grateful for it – it will be a lifelong memory. It’s even more special because we achieved it as a team. At home we don’t keep too much memorabilia but I think we will hold onto that yellow jersey."