The paths of Romain Bardet and the Giro d’Italia have crossed rather late. Perhaps too late for Italian fans to fully savor the talent and grit of a rider who, even without a cabinet full of trophies, has been one of the defining faces of pro cycling over the past decade – both for his legs and for his brain, both on and off the bike.
The Giro d’Italia 2025 will be the final Grand Tour of the 34-year-old Frenchman’s career. Two weeks after the Giro wraps, he will ride the Critérium du Dauphiné and then officially hang up his wheels, choosing to focus on family life and, quite possibly, a future in gravel racing. Since his Giro debut in 2021, at nearly 31 years of age, Bardet has returned every year (except in 2023), proving just how quickly he fell for the Corsa Rosa, and how much this race gave back to him.
In 2022, it truly felt like he had the legs and the form to fight for the Maglia Rosa all the way to the end, squaring off with Jai Hindley and Richard Carapaz. But a stomach virus forced him to abandon at the worst possible moment, when what could have been the biggest achievement of his career was right there for the taking. As we wait to see what he might pull off in May, Bardet will close out his pro journey with four Tour de France stage wins and two overall podiums in 2016 and 2017.
Still, it’s hard not to wonder what might’ve happened had he come to the Giro earlier. “My biggest regret is not trying to win another Grand Tour besides the Tour,” Bardet admitted a few months ago. “After those two podiums, I should’ve aimed to win – or at least podium – the Giro. But I waited too long, and now I know it’s no longer realistic. 2022 was my last real chance, and I don’t think it makes sense anymore to make all those sacrifices for lesser results. Leaving the sport while still riding at a high level, after a solid season, that’s my ideal scenario for retirement”.
Last year, Bardet finished second at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, just behind Tadej Pogačar. Then he placed ninth overall at the Giro, came heartbreakingly close to a stage win at Bocca di Selva – just edged out by fellow Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre – and pulled off a spectacular victory on Stage 1 of the Tour de France, from Florence to Rimini, in the Italian Grand Départ, earning his first-ever yellow jersey. Maybe it’s not Bardet at his absolute peak, but it’s still Bardet at a very high level. And this May, at the Giro, we’ll get to enjoy him one last time.
