Romain Bardet back on the bike after recovering from Giro-wrecking stomach virus

Romain Bardet had a seemingly perfect preparation for the Giro d'Italia and was well within contention for the win until the middle of the second week. It came as a shock as his abandon was announced during the 13th stage, a very tough blow for the Frenchman and Team DSM who were putting on a very strong race.

Team DS Matt Winston has been asked by VeloNews about how his recovery process as been, and Winston said the following: “He was ill for quite a few days afterward, he’s back on the bike now and we start the recovery on the bike. It was a really nasty virus that he had, it for sure not an easy one.”

Bardet was sitting in fourth place at the start in Sanremo, but severe stomach issues had the 31-year old uncapable of concluding the stage. The next goals are not yet defined, as the team look to get back on their feet.

“We have a base for him where we go in the next couple of months, but we have to take it step by step and see how he comes through the next week or two. He only got back on the bike yesterday [Thursday] so he’s not in intensive training," Winston said. "We have to just see and take it step-by-step."

He also confirmed that there is no return expected yet, and that the goals for later in the season will be decided soon: “In the short term, no. We need to get back to training and see how he is when he gets back to full training."

“We were going to review [the Tour de France] after the Giro and see where we’re at so we’ll keep that process going," he concluded.