"Pidcock and probably Tim Wellens" - Romain Bardet excited ahead of Gravel World Championships but contains expectations against big favourites

The 2025 Gravel World Championships are taking place in South Limburg, Netherlands, and Romain Bardet will be present after his retirement from pro road racing. The French rider is still having the colours of Team Picnic PostNL but is now in a different phase of his career, where he enjoys the freedom he has alongside turning towards different goals within pro cycling.

"It was a discipline that I have a lot of interest in, but I had to wait until I really stopped on the road to realize that. In the last few races that I did, even the guys from the WorldTour were up there in the top 10. But sometimes they were not the strongest of the field, you know. So it's quite still a bit different," Bardet explained in words to Cyclingnews ahead of this Sunday's race.

Bardet will be racing the 131-kilometer long event as an outsider for a result but always someone to take into consideration. The Worlds were planned to be honest in Nice, close to home for the veteran, but the plans changed in the spring and so did the course - substantially.

However since August, he has been racing in Gravel around Europe, including a few wins but also presences in Sweden, Finland, Italy and Spain. "I was also impressed by the efforts you have to put in to be in the front of the race. This is something that I like, because it is basically almost full gas straight from the gun." Whilst not a full time pro, Bardet's chances at a result can't be neglected, as he has clearly transitioned well from one discipline to another.

A big part of this is his relationship with the Dutch team, in which he raced the last years of his career and acomplished a few more of his life-long goals such as wearing the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. "I've been really lucky to be in such a good team that really understands my needs".

"For the last couple of years, I've been thinking about retirement. So when I called my team principal, Iwan Spekenbrink, about doing 2025, or not, they really made a super nice schedule for me to race an extra Giro and finish my career where I wanted at the Dauphine, and then a switch and ride for the team on gravel." That's what happened and Bardet is a happy man with his current setup in cycling.

"I think it's been really smooth, and that's why I am still a member of the team, but with also a bit more freedom in terms of my programme. I took my chance to line up to some events. Personally, you know, I stepped out of the road racing because I wanted to have more freedom. And I'm not racing global for championships. In the Netherlands this year, I'm happy to come. I'm here to enjoy riding my bike."

With the course being mostly flat, with a few hills, it certainly won't make for a perfectly suiting course for the Frenchman. The race can count on many experienced road, cyclocross and gravel pros - amongst others - with the likes of Tom Pidcock, Tim Wellens, Tim Merlier, Tibor del Grosso, Matej Mohoric and even classics legend Johan Museeuw at the start.

"I know I'm not gonna be as sharp and as good as some guys like Pidcock and probably Tim Wellens, because they are super good riders, among the best in the world. So I think physically, it can be hard to really match them. But I hope to be on the front, because there will be a full contingent of Belgium and Dutch riders," he says.

"I don't have super high expectations, because for me, it's more likely gonna look like a road race with a lot of fighting for position and stuff. But I'm up for the fight. You only enjoy the day if you're in front".