Cycling: This uncompromising reflection on Romain Bardet!

At the arrival of the Tour of Spain in Madrid, Romain Bardet, who did not manage to raise his arms on a stage despite several great attempts, confirmed that he would no longer compete in the general classifications. A position which did not fail to provoke a reaction from the former sports director of Bernard Hinault or Laurent Fignon, Cyrille Guimard, during his column on cyclismactu.net.

Having barely arrived at the Tour of Spain, Romain Bardetthe leader of the team DSM, had immediately announced that he would not be interested in the general classification in this Vuelta and that he would only work with the aim of stage victories. 21st upon arrival in Madrid, Romain Bardet did not win despite several superb escapes in the passes, notably finishing second behind Remco Evenepoelthe day the Belgian champion accomplished a real feat the day after his failure on the slopes of Aubisque and Tourmalet.

Cycling: Evenepoel-Alaphilippe, the appointment is made… https://t.co/k94TWhlFiZ pic.twitter.com/LDUwMeNUpG

— le10sport (@le10sport) September 19, 2023

” The general ? I’m not going to play it at all anymore.”

A Madrid, Romain Bardet did not hide a relative disappointment: “ Personally, this will not remain an unforgettable edition. Except that it was nice to win a team time trial. Individually, each time, I came across a little stronger. On the two guys who marked this Vuelta! There you go, that’s how it is, that’s the bike… Otherwise, the sensations were pretty good and that was a good point. I feel like I fought well and I’m proud of that. But, afterward, in terms of results, it’s not America! (…) The general ? I’m not going to play it anymore at all! It suits me like that. I’m lucky to have this freedom in the DSM team, to be able to do it. You saw what happened on this Vuelta… I’ve had enough experiences to know how hard and thankless it is. One day without and everything is compromised. That’s not why it’s easier to win a stage, but at least we have satisfaction by being at the front ».

“It’s always difficult to say that we’re no longer in the game”

In the process, on the occasion of his column on cyclismactu.net, Cyrille Guimard made uncompromising remarks about The bard : « As for Romain Bardet who decides to no longer play in the general rankings? In his mind, he made this choice a long time ago. Even if it’s always difficult to say that we’re no longer in the game. He had a great career and a very good Tour of Spain. » The analysis of Guimard, even though it appears severe and a little fatalistic, implicitly points out the danger that awaits a runner renouncing the general classifications like Bardet, that of disconnecting from the rhythm and the demands of world summits. Which over time leads to his downgrading in the hierarchy and ultimately prevents him from winning the stages, always finding himself stronger than him on the big day. The best way to win a stage remains to play for the best possible general classification, when indeed, as Guimard suggests, we are no longer in a position to play for final victory. Romain Bardet he himself won some very big stages at the Tour de France while he was also aiming for the final classification.