‘They are bike geniuses’ – Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar generation hailed by Romain Bardet

Romain Bardet has described the up-and-coming generation of riders including the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar as “bike geniuses”.

Pogacar had won his first Tour de France by the age of 21 in 2020, and backed it up by taking the 2021 edition, with his extraordinary racing taking the cycling world by storm.

Team DSM’s Bardet, who came close to glory at the Giro d’Italia this year before illness forced him out of the race, has witnessed these riders’ respective ascents from close at hand as they have raised the bar required for Grand Tour glory – leaving those like Bardet scrapping for the sport’s consolation prizes.

“They’re not worried about us, the second wheels. Everyone can see that the pace is higher than before. On the climbs, the pace is incredible.

“The structuring of teams has changed the game. When you see the Jumbo [Visma] or UAE [Team Emirates] teams on the big tours, five or six of the eight guys could be leaders.

“For us, their direct opponents, it quickly gets difficult. You have to try to keep a cool head and calibrate your forces to survive.

“It’s always a bit difficult to compare but, yes, it [the level of elite cycling] is far superior [than in 2016-18].

“For me, I feel like there’s a generation window that never arrived. It was not empty words when I said in 2016 or 2017 that my best years were still ahead of me.

“The numbers are clear, I’m stronger than those years but there are even stronger young riders now.

“The top condition I’m in is not being seen in results. Cycling has evolved very quickly over the past six years.”

Bardet, though, is not giving up hope of securing a first Grand Tour win in the years to come.

The Frenchman said: “Physically I still want to take advantage of all my assets. I will be on the lookout for opportunities to put myself in the same situation as before the Giro this year.

“I’m not saying that my chances are numbered but, before the Giro, it’s six months of work. I need things like that in order to progress and be really good at what I’m doing.

“The structure will stay the same because I feel like I have the fundamentals to get there. I will target the Grand Tours according to the routes and my qualities.”

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