The heat stroke, the real one. Romain Bardet had a horrible day this Tuesday on the road to the Tour de France, during the 16th stage. The Frenchman, fourth in the general classification at the start of Carcassonne, dropped out of the first ramps – however not very difficult for a runner like him – of the Port de Lers, 60 kilometers from the finish. Completely roasted by the approximately 38°C which hit the peloton throughout the day.
“I was super feverish, unable to accelerate, with headaches. It’s really one of the worst days I’ve known for a while, explained the leader of the DSM on arrival. It was a nightmare, a terrible day. I didn’t see it coming, I felt fresh this morning. But from the first accelerations, I lost my footing. It’s not something I’m used to, so it’s hard to take. I take my hat off to my teammates, especially at the end Nils [Eekhoff]Andreas [Leknessund] and chris [Hamilton]. Without them, I don’t know if I finished the stage. »
Livid, Romain Bardet does not understand what could have happened. While he had been among the best on the famous stage of Granon, last week, and he had never exploded until then, he cracked where he did not expect it. “Everything fell apart all of a sudden,” he said. I was completely glued, cooked, I was pitiful to see going up to 5 km/h… I was really off the mark, now I have to try to rest. »
Because the Tour is not over. With 3’36 given up to the best, the Frenchman is now 9th in the general classification, almost four minutes from the podium. There are two stages left, Wednesday and Thursday, to try to bounce back.
“The desire will be there… I took a big hit, we will have to remobilize quickly, he projects. I hope it’s just one day and I can bounce back. But the days are numbered now. »