Bardet tears up after final mountain stage, Mas and Carapaz clash over tactics

Bardet could not hold back his tears while speaking with Cyclism'Actu. "Thirteen years of my life. That was it, it's over," sobbed the climber, referring to his last Tour de France. The rider of Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL can look back on a brilliant career, which he will conclude in 2025. "I was never the best, but I never gave up. That's the whole story of my career. It's addictive, you take hits every day, but I always came back." This Tour de France was no exception. Against all odds, Bardet – with thanks to teammate Frank van den Broek – won the opening stage. This allowed him to wear the yellow jersey for the first time in his career.

The Frenchman received support from his beloved wife, who inspired him before the race. "My wife told me to think of her and our son when it got tough today. I had to treat myself one last time. She knew it was hard for me to keep going in the Tour every year because I struggled to be myself." Poetically and almost philosophically, Bardet spoke about his final kilometers, where he was overtaken by the top riders of the general classification. "I was fortunate to be overtaken by the best of this Tour. I think it's like the train passing by and my story ending."

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As has often been the case in this final Tour week, Richard Carapaz once again went into battle. By defending the polka dot jersey, the Ecuadorian achieved one of his main goals for the day. "It's been a very good Tour de France for me, it has proven to be a success," the EF Education - EasyPost rider reflected on the past three weeks. "Today, we secured the mountain classification by being in the breakaway, because there was a high chance that Tadej Pogacar would win at the finish and score points, which would have put me in trouble," he explained. "Luckily, I managed to escape on a descent and I reached the top first on the next two climbs."

Together with Enric Mas, Carapaz was the strongest in the breakaway and hoped to compete for the day's win. "I knew I had good legs and that my physical form had improved over time. So I aimed for the stage win. I tried to cooperate with Enric, but we did not work well together. We knew the two strongest guys were coming. I then tried to hold the wheel, but couldn't." A second stage win was therefore not in the cards for the reigning Olympic champion.

Mas fought a fierce battle with Carapaz, but the approaching general classification riders eventually proved too strong. "We saw that winning was going to cost us a bit more, which ultimately made it impossible," explained the rider of Movistar Team, disappointed by the poor cooperation with his breakaway companion. "There was no understanding between us, which allowed us to be caught," Mas explained. However, he does not attribute the loss of the stage entirely to his fight with Carapaz. "There was also a lack of cooperation at other times of the day. Additionally, some teams worked very hard to prevent us from winning," the Spaniard pointed out, referring to the aggressive racing by Soudal-Quick Step. The Movistar leader was eventually awarded the combativity prize for his efforts.

Overall, Mas is not satisfied with how his Tour went. He came to France to compete in the general classification. However, this opened other doors for the Spaniard. "I enjoyed this stage and the Tour. I discovered a new kind of cycling, totally different from what I knew before. I was able to help my teammates. Fernando in the sprints, others in the breakaways. Today, they helped me." After the failure of achieving a strong GC result in the Tour, Mas sets his sights on the Vuelta a España. "I am paid to fight for the general classification, so that's what I'll do in the Vuelta," Mas concluded.