Romain Bardet slips to fourth position in GC - "It wasn't a great day for me. I got sunstroke in the middle of the Alpe d'Huez"

Romain Bardet keeps the hope of Team DSM alive for GC in the Tour de France. He finished in 11th position, 3 minutes and 42 seconds behind stage winner Tom Pidcock.

He was the victim of a sunstroke, which reduced his performance output and cost him his second place in the general classification. "It wasn't a great day for me. I got sunstroke in the middle of the Alpe d'Huez," Bardet told L'Équipe.

He tried his best not to lose much time since it could cost him his GC position "I got cold shivers, That's why I preferred to choose my own rhythm, otherwise, I would get a blow that would make me explode completely. In the end, I didn't lose a lot of time because, at the front, they didn't go much faster," said Bardet.

He continues, "I could have positioned myself a bit better because I felt the heat coming into me, and so I had to let them ride. It's the Tour de France on the days when you're not doing so well. You have to know when to temporize and when to hold on," Bardet concluded. He has slipped from his second to 4th position in GC, 2 minutes and 35 seconds behind overall leader Jonas Vingegaard.