29/04/2024

In-form Romain Bardet leads ambitious Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL at Giro d'Italia 2024

The last few weeks have seen something of a renaissance in the career of Romain Bardet. After a bright and attacking display at the Tour of the Alps led to a 5th-placed finish overall, the 33-year-old carried that form into a 2nd-placed finish at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Can the Frenchman now return to a Grand Tour podium for the first time since 2017 at the Giro d'Italia?

Hopes are high within Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL as the team unveil their lineup for the opening Grand Tour of the year, with Bardet as GC leader. “I first discovered the Giro with the team back in 2021. I’ve done it twice so far and both times I really enjoyed it so I’m glad and really motivated to give it another go this year. We hope to be present and contesting for results in as many stages as possible," previews Bardet to the team's official website. "Personally, I hope to be consistent over the three weeks, perform at my best level and to fight for the win in those mountain stages and see where that leaves us in the GC. I think if we’re able to get a stage win in the sprints and mountains, and a good GC result, then it would be an excellent Giro for us.”

Profiles & Route Giro d'Italia 2024 - 71Km of time-trial; Gravel; Stelvio and double Grappa ascent included

Bardet isn't the only hope of success for the team in the coming weeks though. Through Dutch powerhouse Fabio Jakobsen, they also hope to present in the sprints. “As usual, it will be another challenging three-week route around Italy with a mix of terrain awaiting us. We head to the Giro with a squad who have shown in recent races that they are in good form and the morale is high within the group. We have ambitions of top stage results in the sprints with Fabio as our finisher, where the sprint group has shown great progress in the recent Tour of Turkey," sports director Matt Winton explains.

With the likes of Tobias Lund Andresen, fresh off the back of three stage wins in Turkey, Chris Hamilton, Gijs Leemreize, Julius van den Berg, Bram Welton and Kevin Vermaerke, there is plenty of quality for the team to lean on. "We aim to ride the best GC possible with Romain as our finisher there, while also looking for our opportunities to be in the fight for stage wins and top results on the hilly and mountainous terrain too," Winton concludes. "To achieve these goals, we will need to work well as a group throughout the race, riding as a unit and giving everything for each other over the three weeks; so that we can show ourselves at the front of proceedings.”