Our #GirodItalia🇮🇹 gladiators 👏🏻 We will leave Rome with a hard-fought top 🔟 place on GC, a well-deserved stage podium and a handful of top 10 results. We're proud of how the guys fought for each other every day, never giving up. 🧡 Read more as we reflect on the first GT 👇🏻
“The more the years go by, the harder it gets” - Romain Bardet reflects ruefully on inconsistent Giro d'Italia after 9th overall finish
CyclingMonday, 27 May 2024 at 13:30
Having come into the 2024 Giro d'Italia high on confidence and buoyed by positive results at the Tour of the Alps and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, expectations were lofty for Romain Bardet. Although he secured another Grand Tour top-10, the Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL wasn't totally content with his performance.
“The more the years go by, the harder it gets,” the experienced, 33-year-old Frenchman admitted after the final stage in conversation with Eurosport. A two-time podium finisher at the Tour de France, Bardet was once viewed as the big hope of French Grand Tour cycling. As happens to all though, Bardet is beginning to feel the effects of father time. “I just don't have the consistency over three weeks anymore."
Pre-race, Bardet admitted he would have to attempt a different strategy at this Giro and announced plans to try and emulate his compatriot Thibaut Pinot's performances from the 2023 edition to launch himself into the top-5 via breakaway raids. Although Bardet was able to get in a couple of breaks during the three weeks, he was never able to fully make the most of them.
The general was not my primary objective, but for the team It was important, so I tried to hang on a little. There was still the satisfaction, on my good days, of seeing that I was with the best. But on 2 or 3 days I felt it," he assesses honestly. "Fatigue, that's what makes the difference with the top 5 in the general classification who were really solid."
"It's been a big block for me since the start of the season, I haven't had much breath. I attacked the Giro on the wrong foot, with my health failing me and I tried to get back on track, but it was one day with, one day without," Bardet concludes. "No regrets, I gave my best. On Saturday, I really was empty. The road put everyone in their place, so I can have no bitterness about that."
claps 2visitors 327
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- The point is obvious: MVDP can beat Tadej on CX/Road and Tadej cannot. What is so hard to understand???averagecyclist22-12-2024
- Funny... one doper enabler backing the doper he enabled ! Who would have guessed.frieders322-12-2024
- Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’tMistermaumau22-12-2024
- So you're bored, got itvappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- Does everything need to have a point? If so, 99% of the internet should be wiped away. In relation to recent articles with quotes from other riders, my statement points to the ever more obvious reason why they are asked to comment on the effect of his return.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If anyone would be interested enough to launch an official survey as to who out of these three should shut up, I don’t know who’d win but I’m due Boonen would be way back in 3rd place.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- And your point is what exactly?vappaxbipmv22-12-2024
- MVDP dominates this sport even more than Pogaçar dominates road racing. Also he can beat Tadej on the road quite regularly, the opposite is unlikely.Mistermaumau22-12-2024
- If you listen to team radios you'll hear each DS telling their riders to ride faster, fight their way to the front, and all occupy the same 8 places.Sweep22-12-2024
- You're talking about a sport where equipment and clothing is measured in grams.Sweep22-12-2024