He nevertheless kept good memories of this terrible wall of Péguère, where he had started to build his second podium on the Tour de France in 2017. But Romain Bardet sank in this steep climb 35 km from the finish in Foix, which tuesday. The Frenchman, 4th overall this morning just 18 seconds behind 3rd place Geraint Thomas, had even been unclamped for the first time from the group of favorites from the previous pass. On arrival, the Auvergnat pays out 3′36 on Vingegaard, Pogacar, Thomas, Quintana and Gaudu, the first five overall, and drops to 9th place.
But even more than the results, it was the state of health, the livid face and the words of Bardet on arrival, shot on his home-trainer at the foot of his bus, which worried. “I was super feverish, unable to accelerate, headaches… Really one of the worst days in a while, he admitted. It was a nightmare. I take my hat off to my teammates, because without them, I couldn’t finish the stage. »
Is the heat, one of the great enemies of Bardet’s career, in question? “I don’t know, I really didn’t feel well, I had chills, my temples were throbbing. Truly a terrible day. I didn’t see it coming. I’m completely lost, I had nothing. My head was pounding, I was completely off the mark. »
The shock is hard to take, especially since Romain Bardet has so far achieved an almost perfect Tour. He was happy to attack the last week with freshness to grab a place, or even better, in the Pyrenees. And wham. “In Péguère, I was pitiful to see, at 5 km / h, he laments. But I couldn’t ride at a high pace. »
What happens next is now very uncertain. But, hot, Romain Bardet still had a little hope. “I have to try to rest. We will have to remobilize quickly. It hadn’t been too bad for 14 days. Maybe it’ll just be a day without. But the days are numbered now. And the podium, almost 4 minutes away, an old forgotten dream.