Bardet: Chris Froome must be respected

A few hours before the arrival of Chris Froome (Team Sky) on the stage of the Tour de France on Thursday night, Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) called on the French public to respect the quadruple champion in the light of the He is innocent in his case of salbutamol. The chorus of taunts that greeted the British suggested however that these pleas had fallen in the ear of a deaf man.

Bardet, the great French hopeful who, on the other hand, acclaimed the rafters of La Roche-sur-Yon, has attracted attention on several occasions for his comments on the case. of Froome, which emerged in December. He used phrases like "laughing" and words like "shame," and later regretted that they became sensational titles.

While the 27-year-old seated in the middle of the table for the preparations of AG2R La Mondiale At a press conference on Thursday, the first question that was asked at Froome concerned Froome, and he seemed happy to be able to put it aside and continue.

"Thanks for that question, we can solve this problem now and then go to the sport afterwards," he said. "I am relieved to see that a verdict has been made: Chris Froome has gone through a nine-month period, I think the whole cycling has lasted nine months, now things are clear, the l 39; The case has been settled, it has not been covered in glory in the last few months, but now it is important for the Tour de France to take place in a calm atmosphere. "

Conversation duly turned towards the race cyclist herself, the perspectives of Bardet and its reading However, the subject, who dominated the preparations for this Tour de France, could not fail to return: Asked about the concerns that the presence of Froome could poison the race – the organizers ASO having tried to prevent him from participating before the verdict landed – Bardet called on the French public to put aside any discomfort.

"I think that there is now a decision, we must all accept and respect it – the riders, the speakers, the public" says "The Tour de France is a great national event and he should be especially about the sport.We must respect each of the riders, no less than Chris Froome, a four-time winner.The Tour must take place on a neutral fair play field.I have confidence in the safety and also in the French public, and I am sure we will see a great race full of enthusiasm. "

Despite his eagerness to move forward, Bardet still lamented the shadow of the nine-month affair [19659005] "I'm happy … well, I'm not happy for cycling, you can not be happy after nine months," he said.

"We heard very little about the elements that led to the decision, we know that there was a clash between experts that took a long time and that the C procedure was very long.

"If there is anyone to blame, it is not Froome, it is the laxity of the rules. A negative badytical conclusion, a positive test, this thing about the thresholds – we do not really know where we are. This creates doubts and suspicions, and I am the first to regret it because cycling loses its credibility. Negative badytical results, positive tests, thresholds, they are all there but then we have these tests and procedures, and this causes this high opacity. "

Better than ever

When the conversation turned to the race itself Bardet insisted that he is a stronger and more complete runner than the one who rode on the podium at the last two editions of the Tour.

"I'm dedicated to that, and thanks to my coach and my team I've been feeling really better year after year," he said . "I feel better physically than I was two years ago when I finished second.This is not the only thing you need to take into account if you want to win the yellow jersey but I am stronger, same as last year, with the numbers and everything else. "

Bardet laughed when he was nicknamed" maniac "by a journalist, referring to his constant search for a" maniac ". improvements and attention to detail. He explained that it was not a specific area, but to take small steps forward year by year, to attack in the mountains and to manage the time trials knowing when to save energy.

that in the Tour de France, the physical is only half of the equation, and has repeatedly referred to his experience. This will be Bardet 's sixth Tour de France, having made his debut in 2013 and his first big impact in 2014 with a top 10. A stage win followed in 2015 before his two podiums in the last two editions.

At age 27, he feels able to handle the pressure that comes with being a true competitor of the yellow jersey, especially in front of a nation's home champion since Bernard Hinault in 1985

"In critical situations – and we will certainly see them in this Tour de France – and in difficult times, moments of doubt and panic, you" personally have this accumulation of towers under my belt m & # It helps to put things in perspective and to fight for the yellow jersey. "