Romain Bardet (Team DSM) had a very complicated stage, this Tuesday July 19, between Carcassonne and Foix. 4e of the general classification of the Tour de France this morning, the Frenchman is now 9e6′ 37” from Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
You were released from the Port of Lers, then in the Wall of Péguère, was it a day without?
It was really an excruciating day, I was super feverish. I was unable to accelerate, I had headaches. It’s one of the worst days I’ve ever known. It was a nightmare, and I take my hat off to my teammates who knew how to assist me until the end.
“The urge will be there, but…”
Is it the heat that justifies this bad day?
I don’t know, I had chills, my temples throbbing. I didn’t see it coming. I had a stable level since the start of the Tour, but there I was completely stuck. In the Péguère, I was pitiful to see, I was going up to 5 km/h… I tried not to let go, but I couldn’t manage to maintain a constant rhythm.
READ ALSO. Tour de France. The general classification of riders and teams after the 16e stage
To the point that you are not optimistic to bounce back?
The urge will be there, but… It wasn’t even the legs, actually. Simply, I was completely lost, I had nothing. My head was pounding. I was really off the mark. I don’t know… I’m going to rest. This morning, I was fine, but on the first accelerations, I lost my footing. It’s not something I’m used to, so you have to be able to cash it. There are two good days left. We will have to regroup quickly. For fifteen days, things weren’t too bad, so we’re going to hope that it was just a complicated day.
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