15th June – Stage 8: Val-d’Arc – Plateau du Mont-Cenis
Pinning on numbers for the last time ever in his road career, Romain Bardet was met by a guard of honour from the peloton as he lined and Team Picnic PostNL lined up for the final stage at the Critérium du Dauphiné. A potential day for the break, it was a big fight to try and make the morning move, before eventually a group went clear.
With all Team Picnic PostNL riders in the peloton, they rallied around Bardet and saw him through his final day on the road. A strong pace was set in the peloton to keep those ahead in check and the bunch thinned down over the ascents. Coming onto the final climb of the day, Bardet sat up and let go of the peloton, riding up to the finish to savour the crowds alongside teammate and friend Chris Hamilton.
Bardet said: “I’ve been preparing and then racing for a while in this last period since before the Giro, as I’ve been having a lot of fun. Seeing everything and everyone at the side of the road today; it’s a magnificent finish to the race. It was hard not to let emotion get the better of me too. During the stage, I don’t have too much time to think about that though; there was great emotion at the start but honestly it was a really hard pace during the stage. I’m happy to have been able to end my career in a place I know well; the setting is magnificent in the middle of the mountains. I’m very happy to finish with all my friends, and we get to ride down the mountain together one last time.”