Pidcock, Del Grosso, Wellens and… Bardet! Frenchman thanks team and looks ahead to Gravel World Championship: "I’ve been really lucky"

Anyone who has taken a close look at the list of participants in the World Gravel Championships will have seen Bardet's name there on behalf of France. This is something he has been looking forward to for a long time. “It was a discipline that I have a lot of interest in, but I had to wait until I really stopped on the road to realise that,” Bardet told Cyclingnews.

He has already competed in several gravel races recently. “In the last few races that I did, even the guys from the WorldTour were up there in the top 10. But sometimes they were not the strongest of the field, you know. So it's quite still a bit different,” the former pro rider from Brioude emphasizes the difference with road racing.

“I was also impressed by the efforts you have to put in to be in the front of the race. This is something that I like, because it is basically almost full gas straight from the gun,” said the Frenchman, who thanks Picnic PostNL. “I've been really lucky to be in such a good team that really understands my needs.”

Because in recent years, Bardet has been thinking a lot about his retirement. “So when I called my team principal, Iwan Spekenbrink, about doing 2025, or not, they really made a super nice schedule for me to race an extra Giro and finish my career where I wanted at the Dauphine.”

And after that? “I could make another switch and ride gravel for the team. I think it's been really smooth, and that's why I am still a member of the team, but with also a bit more freedom in terms of my programme. I took my chance to line up to some events.”

The numbers don't lie: Bardet won two of the four UCI Gravel World Series qualifiers he rode. The first was La Monsterrato in Italy, a race that reminded him of a classic. The second was the 66 Degrés Sud in his own country, which reminded him more of a stage race.

"The one in the French Pyrenees in September, sometimes the climbs of six or seven kilometres long, with altitude, it really reminds me of a breakaway day for winning a stage of a Grand Tour. You are really on your own fighting against 25 or 30-minute efforts."

On Sunday, 180 kilometers await the Frenchman in the Netherlands, with just over 1600 meters of climbing. What can we expect from Bardet there? “I know I'm not gonna be as sharp and as good as some guys like [Tom] Pidcock and probably Tim Wellens, because they are super good drivers, among the best in the world,” he says honestly.

“So I think physically, it can be hard to really match them. But I hope to be on the front, because there will be a full contingent of Belgium and Dutch riders. I don't have super high expectations, because for me, it's more likely gonna look like a road race with a lot of fighting for position and stuff. But I'm up for the fight. You only enjoy the day if you're in front” Bardet laughs.