🎥 A beautiful goodbye video for an emotional Bardet, who receives a tribute from his colleagues in Dauphiné.

Romain Bardet will complete his very last professional race today. The eighth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné will be the final chapter in a brilliant career, during which the 34-year-old Frenchman won four Tour stages and finished twice on the podium in Paris. His team, Picnic PostNL, said a fantastic farewell to Bardet, who struggled to hold back his emotions.

Bardet was given a moment to watch the video himself. Family members, friends, and (former colleagues) spoke in the video. Chris Hamilton, for example. Since 2021, the year Bardet moved to the Dutch team, the Australian has become one of his most important and best friends. "In the simplest form, he is a great guy, a great friend, and a great rider," Hamilton said of the Frenchman.

Thanks to his team leader, the climber has reinvented himself. "He has given me a sense of purpose. I have never had anyone I have spent so much time with, whether during races, training, or anything else. He has pushed me further in my career purely because I wanted to be there to support him. I wanted to get the most out of myself to be the best version of myself for him."

Iwan Spekenbrink is also at a loss for words when talking about the 34-year-old Bardet. “Integrity, respect, modesty, and the ability to suffer incredibly” is how the Dutch manager of Picnic PostNL describes his departing protégé. “If we had to name one rider in our team who is the personification of our DNA, it would be Romain Bardet."

If Spekenbrink had to pick one moment as the best, it would be a very easy choice. 'His victory in the first stage of the Tour de France, where he won the yellow jersey. In typical Romain style, it was against all odds; no one thought it was possible. It was aggressive racing with a teammate (Frank van den Broek, ed.). He suffered enormously, turned himself and his teammate inside out, and managed to win by four seconds. An epic victory."

Before starting his last day of racing in France, Bardet also received a nice farewell gift from his colleagues. The riders lined up for a beautiful guard of honor, where the Frenchman managed to find his son at the end of the line. Beautiful images!