"With Tadej Pogačar, it’s over" - Romain Bardet admits that winning Tour de France is no longer on his mind
Cycling
The level within pro cycling has been increasing over the last few years, and perhaps most noticeably is how the level in the Grand Tours has become, specially in the Tour de France as new talents like Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard emerged. Romain Bardet has kept his level through the years but admits his ambitions are no longer of winning the Grand Boucle.
“In fact, I don't even think about it anymore. I don't think about winning the Tour de France anymore," Bardet shared in an interview with L'Équipe. “Last year, I thought about it during the Giro, I felt I could win. But in the Tour, I am no longer among the favourites, that's obvious. With Jai Hindley and Richard Carapaz, I know I can beat them when I'm on top form."
Having found a new breath of motivation with Team DSM, Bardet has had his Grand Tour ambitions renewed in recent years. He's ridden to seventh at the 2021 Giro, as well as sixth on the 2022 Tour, however in both showing performances close to big victories. He talks of having a level superior to that that has seen him finish on the podium in the mid-2010's, but unable to obtain the same results.
“But with Tadej Pogačar, it’s over. It's as simple as that. If one day I manage to drop him in the high mountains in the Tour, so much the better, but it’s not a fixed idea," he continues. The Frenchman has indeed dropped Pogacar at the Col du Granon last summer as he rode to second on the decisive stage, but in the overall classification he could not match the Slovenian.
As Pogacar and Vingegaard once again aim for victory at the Tour de France this year, Bardet talks of what should be the most realistic objective he can target: “The podium, if possible: I’ve been sixth three times, but nobody cares about that," the Frenchman concluded.
Bardet sits in eight position at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var, with the queen stage to be held tomorrow where the Team DSM rider has the best chances of striking.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
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