Romain Bardet is part of an older generation, and one of the few riders who has stayed on top from the mid-2010's all the way into the current period when it comes to Grand Tours. On the evolution of some riders from the new generation, he's had nothing but good words to say.
In an interview with Eurosport France, Bardet admitted: "They have something extra, they are cycling geniuses. When they are at 100 percent, nobody can compete, they race each other. They don’t care about us, the runners-up." Having been perhaps the two most successful riders in 2022, with countless wins in Grand Tours, monuments and World Tour stage-races, at only 22 and 24 years of age both Pogacar and Evenepoel stand at the very top of the cycling world.
Bardet has commented on how he is currently at his best ever level, but cannot compete for the results he has in the past - including two podium finishes at the Tour de France recently. The change is visible, as many riders share the same struggle, whilst the top of the sport becomes younger and younger due to professional training methods being adopted earlier and riders reaching their best level at much younger ages.
“Everyone sees that the pace is higher than before. On the climbs, the pace is incredible. The structuring of the teams has changed the situation. When you see the Jumbo or UAE teams in the grand tours, five or six of the eight guys could be leaders," Bardet continued.
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"For us, as direct opponents, it gets complicated very quickly. We have to try to keep a cool head and calibrate our forces to survive it," he concluded. Such statement justifies the frequent lack of aggressive racing for example at the Tour de France, where Bardet finished sixth, and virtually all mountain stages saw a battle between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar whilst the rest battled for the remaining spots.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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