Romain Bardet

Romain Bardet is a French cyclist, primarily known for his climbing abilities. He rides for Team dsm-firmenich. IDLProCycling.com keeps a close eye on all news related to Bardet, along with maintaining a biography of his career.

Bardet made his professional peloton debut in 2012 with AG2R La Mondiale, and it quickly became apparent that he had the talent to shine in grand tours. In his first two appearances in the Tour de France, he finished fifteenth and then sixth. Characterized by his attacking riding style and daring descents, he also achieved stage victories in his home country's tour.

Bardet eventually reached the podium in Paris twice. In 2016, he finished second, albeit far behind overall winner Chris Froome, and a year later, he took the third spot on the podium. Despite the intense pressure from French fans, he never claimed the overall victory. This pressure led Bardet to increasingly focus on other challenges. He participated in the Giro d'Italia and also won the polka dot jersey in the Tour de France. He occasionally made a splash in one-day races, such as finishing second in Strade Bianche and the World Championships in 2018.

After years of loyalty to AG2R, the Frenchman decided in 2020 to change course. He accepted an offer from Team Sunweb, which became Team DSM in 2021. In his first year with the team, he won a stage in the Vuelta and finished seventh in the Giro d'Italia. DSM's different approach seemed to suit Bardet, who increasingly distanced himself from France and French races. He competed in different events and thus reinvented himself a bit.

In 2022, Bardet set his sights primarily on the Giro d'Italia. For two weeks, he demonstrated impressive strength but was unfortunately forced to abandon due to illness. Shifting his focus to the Tour de France, Bardet delivered solid performances, including a second-place finish in a stage and securing the sixth spot in the overall classification. Known for his amiable nature, exemplified earlier in the year when he helped the injured Alaphilippe in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Bardet also performed admirably in the fall classics, finishing eighth in the GP Montreal and ninth in the Tour of Lombardy.

The focus in 2023 was predominantly on the Tour de France. After achieving several commendable placements in the spring and summer, Bardet's Tour journey was relatively low-profile. However, his participation was cut short on the fourteenth day due to a concussion from a crash. Recovering in time, he later participated in the Vuelta a España, where his team triumphed in the opening day's team time trial. In the rest of the race, he was close to a stage victory twice in early breakaways but ultimately fell short.