The French duo of DSM-Firmenich Post-NL riders, Romain Bardet and Warren Barguil, quickly got on their bus. Unlike Saturday, they were on time. On the other hand, the pack of journalists waiting for the yellow jersey melted like Italian ice cream in the sun, leaving only a handful. After a moment of recovery, Romain Bardet seemed to digest the loss of his golden jersey by six seconds. And took the time to remember this day.
“That’s how it is, it’s a shame but I don’t see what more I could have done. I fought, but I had knives in my legs,” begins the Auvergne champion. Before even talking about himself, he wants to congratulate Kévin Vauquelin (Arkea B&B Hotels), victorious this Sunday, and thank Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ): “Seeing him help me in the final when we’re not in the same team, when we don’t know each other that well…” The now ex-yellow jersey seems touched by this patriotism.
