"I tried to get ahead because I knew the legs weren't that great" - Romain Bardet climbs to seventh overall despite losing his bid for stage win

Romain Bardet must once again postpone his bid for victory at the Giro d'Italia. For the experienced Team dsm-firmenich PostNL leader it's once again second place on the day, losing to younger compatriot Valentin Paret-Peintre. A consolation prize for Bardet is his move up to 7th overall after his breakaway effort.

“I'm happy," admitted Bardet to Eurosport after the finish. "I didn't feel well, I was fine, but I was unable to accelerate. Old cars are like this after the day off. I tried to get ahead because I knew the legs weren't that great. I tried to manage myself to get back on Tratnik, but congratulations to Valentin. He took a nice shot. I have no regrets, those were my chances today."

"We worked together well with Valentin," continued Bardet. "We spoke to each other because I told him it was the right time. I knew that he would then manage himself, but it was normal for him to do this, while I had to make a few more changes. However, a good result given the sensations of the day."

In any case, even if the victory didn't come, Bardet recovered almost three minutes from Maglia Rosa Tadej Pogacar and the other big names, thus climbing up to seventh place in the general classification: "Today I made up ground, but it was thanks to a set of happy events. However, the most suitable stages for me are still to come, so it was a good day."