Promising TT ride from Romain Bardet on fast course at Giro d’Italia

Stage seven at the Giro d’Italia saw the peloton take on the first time trial of the race, with a just over 40 kilometre long effort on the menu. A route that could be clearly split into two sections, the opening 34 kilometres took place over mostly flatter, albeit rolling, roads; whereas after that the riders hit a climb which would take them all the way to the finish. Featuring some leg-sapping gradients and a prolonged kilometre long section at over ten percent in gradient, those going all-in would need to keep something left in the tank.
The majority of the team looked to get through the day in a good way, but for Romain Bardet it was full focus on giving his best out on the route. Starting off at a solid speed, Bardet kept up similar momentum throughout the flatter section before turning onto the climb. Using his climbing prowess he powered up the ascent, clawing back some time and places from the intermediate checks, crossing the line for a provisional 11th place. Once the rest of the riders had completed their efforts it would end up being an 18th place for Bardet, seeing him and the team move up on GC after the stage.
After the stage Bardet said: “It was a hard TT out there with the long flat section and some wind. Then we he had the climb to the line with the steep parts in the start. I tried to save something for the climb, and just gave everything to the line. I’m feeling better each day, pleased with this result and looking forward to the stages to come.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Matt Winston added: “We can be happy with today I think. It was a really good TT from Romain. It shows the hard work he and the team have put in over the last few years in this discipline to get better and it has paid off with that TT. Now we will turn our focus to a hard weekend with lots of climbing.”