"This really should have been for Frank van den Broek" - Stef Clement disagrees with Tour stage and yellow going to veteran Bardet
Cycling
Stef Clement has lashed out at dsm firmenich-PostNL in his Tour de France commentary for NOS. According to the former cyclist, the Dutch team should have let the young Frank van den Broek win the stage in Rimini instead of veteran Romain Bardet.
Clement shook his head at the finish when Bardet and Van den Broek crossed the finish line together, with the Frenchman in front. "This really should have been for Frank van den Broek," he said irritated. "I don’t care if no one at dsm-firmenich PostNL wants to talk to me anymore, but this victory really should have been given to the 23-year-old Van den Broek. He deserved it, he rode for it himself and he was the stronger one. Also in the final."
Clement points out that the 33-year-old Bardet already his large palmares as a pro, while for Van den Broek this could have been 'once in a lifetime' opportunity. "This is a fourth stage victory for Bardet. That won't change his career anymore. Yes, the yellow, but you couldn't distribute it fairly. Then you should have sent it to Frank van den Broek," Clement believes.
Then Clement turns to tell his young compatriot: "You don't know if you will ever get this chance again, while Bardet has had and taken his chances. He will retire richly. And you could have given your career a mega boost today. Everyone saw that you were the strongest. As far as I am concerned, it is a real injustice, not as it should be."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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Signed, sealed, 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 🏆💯 What a way to take our first Grand Tour stage win as Team @dsmfirmenich @PostNL 🔥 #KeepChallenging #WeBringProgressToLife #BijzondereMomenten #TDF2024
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