Runner-up Romain Bardet saw ‘criminal’ cornering from Isaac Del Toro: “I had studied every detail”

Bardet knew this was one of his best shots at a stage win. “That’s exactly why I held back on Tuesday,” he told Sporza after the finish. “I had confidence and rode a good race, even though our break never gained much of a gap.”

Early on, Polti-VisitMalta kept the large breakaway on a short leash, before Q36.5, Movistar and UAE Emirates-XRG really turned up the pace in the final hour. Del Toro and Carapaz closed the gap to the last remaining leaders on the climb. “Even then I still believed, because the finish was really technical and I had studied every detail. Whoever hit that last corner first would take the win.”

But Bardet never got that far. “Carapaz lost Del Toro’s wheel, and he flew through those corners like a madman. The road was getting slick and it was truly impressive. He opened up five meters and that was it,” said the Picnic PostNL rider.

Max Poole followed the GC contenders and crossed the line in ninth, moving up to eleventh in the overall standings. “It’s a shame Romain just missed out on the win, but it’s still a great result. I’m really happy for him and proud of how he raced.”

“When the GC guys ride like that, there’s not much you can do,” said the Brit from Picnic PostNL.