Van den Broek’s dominance paves the way for Bardet in his final Tour: "One year left to return the favor"

Van den Broek was ultimately the last man standing in the breakaway, and the 23-year-old Tour debutant did the hard work in the final to bring his leader to victory. "Maybe I can realize it in a few hours, but for now, it’s just unreal," Van den Broek told Eurosport shortly after the finish. "It's insane. I have no words for it. It was our plan to be in a strong position right off the bat, and I was in the lead group. Romain joined later and I managed to support him, but I was glad he didn’t ride too hard on the final climb. I was completely at my limit."

That wasn’t apparent on television. On the contrary, Van den Broek seemed to put the 33-year-old Bardet through the wringer on the flat in the final kilometers. "However, it was incredibly tough due to the headwind. And the motorbike next to us didn’t help either. The last straight line was so incredibly long, a real slog. I could see the peloton. I just put my head down and squeezed out every bit of power." Or, as he put it when talking to the NOS: "I’m completely spent, utterly drained. It was also super hot today, but the team had a very good plan with bottles and ice. That was perfect. This is unforgettable."

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Van den Broek ultimately let Bardet take the win and the yellow jersey. The green, white, and the combativity award were a nice reward for the climbing talent. He didn’t really compete for the polka dot jersey due to a lack of punch, although he did want to. "I really wanted to," he laughed. According to Van den Broek, he just "kept going" despite having some nerves for his first Tour in the past few days. "We didn’t really discuss who should win. I was just empty, and Romain pulled through. It’s fantastic that he takes the yellow right away in his last Tour," he says, referring to Bardet’s announcement that he will retire in the summer of 2025. "I hope I get plenty of chances to win a Tour stage or take yellow myself at some point. He couldn’t have made it without me, but I couldn’t have made it without him either."

In the Team dsm-firmenich PostNL car, consultation wasn’t really necessary either. Bardet had to win the stage, that much was clear. "Frank performed superbly in his first Tour stage, all credit to him, really," said team director Matt Winston to the NOS. "It was great that they could do that last part together, otherwise they would have been shark bait for the peloton. In the meeting, we said Romain is our leader, and if there are several guys in the lead group, then Romain is the leader. We got the yellow jersey and Frank takes the white. We finish first and second… I think Frank is very happy too."

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Van den Broek was indeed happy and even a bit emotional. "I’ve had a very good season so far, and this is kind of the cherry on top. I still don’t have words for it and need to let it sink in a bit. I saw that Romain was in tears. In his last Tour, this really means something to him." Later on in the mixed zone, where IDLProCycling.com was also present, the realization of what he had done slowly began to sink in. "I thought: damn, we just won that stage. I never dreamed of this. I only considered turning pro a few years ago. Performing at the highest level is something else entirely. This is really a big step for me."

What did Bardet say to him when he passed Van den Broek in the final meters? "I don’t know, there was so much noise. I couldn’t hear my earpiece either, so I didn’t hear him. Romain had cramps, but five kilometers from the finish, I was also hitting my leg to get rid of the cramp. We were both completely exhausted." Did Bardet himself remember what he said? "What Frank did today means the world to me. How he rode on the flat towards the end was phenomenal. The conditions were tough, the wind was against us. We were consistently riding 46 to 47 kilometers per hour. He was fantastic and should wear half a yellow jersey tomorrow. Frank has something special and this dream start shows his potential. I have a whole Tour de France and a whole year to repay him."

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"It’s crazy what happened here today. You have those unexpected moments in your career and this was one of them," Bardet also said about his own performance. Because shortly after announcing his retirement, he suddenly finds himself in yellow. "I started this Tour without pressure because I’m not aiming for the general classification. I totally feel like myself again, and that makes a difference. I saw a lot of riders suffering, so I decided to attack."

The Dutch team having plans was one thing. This plan did not come up, though. "This is an unimaginable scenario that has become reality. I followed my instincts to attack at a certain moment. I have to conclude that when I attack, I race from the heart, and the racing instinct works out well. Since the beginning of my cycling career, the yellow has always haunted me. I often stood close in the general classification and came close to yellow a few times, but it was never to be."