"We have the feeling of not really being one of his opponents" - Romain Bardet reflects on final season dominated by Tadej Pogacar

One of the faces of modern French cycling, Romain Bardet has come as close as any of his compatriots to ending the long wait for a home Maillot Jaune winner. In his final in the professional peloton season though, it was Tadej Pogacar who took all the headlines, leaving Bardet in awe.

"I don't know what to say. I'm ignoring it. Honestly, he's not in the same weight category," Bardet laughs when asked by Eurosport to judge his rival's record breaking 2024 season, having had a close up view of the Slovenian at both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France among other races this year. "I'm surprised but, at the same time, he has put together the immense potential that we saw in him."

Bardet also thinks he knows one of the root causes of Pogacar's brilliance in 2024. "Apparently, he didn't know how to train. Now, he knows," the Frenchman, who finished runner-up to the UAE Team Emirates leader at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. "He puts together a potential that we saw in recent years on his first two Tours de France that he wins over in class."

In fact, Pogacar has been so superior this year, that despite having that aforementioned 2nd in Liege and winning a stage of the Tour de France, donning the iconic Maillot Jaune, Bardet never felt as if he could rival the Slovenian world champion. "He is so superior... It's difficult to explain," he assesses. "I don't spend much time looking for explanations. Even being contemporary and in the environment, we have the feeling of not really being one of his opponents."

When asked if there were ever races where he expected pre-race that Pogacar would be winning, Bardet is clear. "Yes, yes. There are several, just off the top of my head: Strade Bianche, GP de Montreal and the World Championships. I was convinced that without any mechanical incident or anything for him, it was settled," he recalls. "There was still a certain vulnerability that we found elsewhere, in the team for example. There, we knew, even on the Tour de France, that if we saw the UAE agitating at the head of the peloton from the first kilometres to control the formation of the breakaway, that he would win the stage behind. On the Giro, the same. It happened at least ten times this season."