Frenchman Romain Bardet (DSM) was forced to retire in the Tirreno-Adriatico the day after his fall in the 5th stage where he suffered a slight concussion, his team announced on Saturday.
“After his fall on Friday and after initial favorable examinations, Romain Bardet finished the stage riding calmly with (his teammate) Chris Hamilton,” explained DSM.
“As required by the concussion protocol, which provides for regular checks in the evening, Romain began to show slight signs of concussion,” the press release continues.
“This therefore means of course that he is not starting Tirreno-Adriatico this Saturday and that he will observe a period of rest until he is completely recovered,” added DSM, without giving further details. details on the Auvergne climber’s racing program.
During the 5th stage on Friday, one of the most difficult of the 2024 edition of the “Course des deux mers”, Bardet, left behind by the main favorites, fell on the descent of the San Giacomo pass.
He reached the finish in 94th position, 20 min 08 sec after the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, winner of the stage and new leader, and was in 74th place in the general classification.
Bardet, 33, has set himself the goal this year of winning stage victories during the next Tour de France, which may be the last of his career.
“Blow(s) to the head. Difficult to leave the race due to an error on my part, apart from the concussion I am lucky to do so well at this speed,” he wrote on X (ex-Twitter).
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