Romain Bardet (Team DSM), eleventh in the twelfth stage run on Thursday, and fourth in the general classification, looked back on his hot and trying day after climbing the legendary twenty-one bends of L’Alpe-d’Huez.
“It was not a great day for me. I had a heat stroke in L’Alpe-d’Huez, I started to have chills. I had hard legs after yesterday, but above all it was very, very hot today. I had to drag a bit to get to my destination. It was a question of management, I preferred to take my rhythm. It’s the Tour de France too: the days when we is less good, you have to know how to arch your back. It didn’t come down to much. I should have perhaps positioned myself a little better. I was really encouraged all day, it was great .”
“I started having chills”
The general classification after the 12th stage
1. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN/Jumbo) 46:28:46.
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO/UAE) at 2:22.
3. Geraint Thomas (GBR/INE) 2:26.
4. Romain Bardet (FRA/DSM) 2:35.
5. Adam Yates (GBR/INE) 3:44.
6. Nairo Quintana (COL/ARK) 3:58.
7. David Gaudu (FRA/GFJ) 4:07.
8. Thomas Pidcock (GBR/INE) 7:39.
9. Enric Mas (ESP/MOV) 9:32.
10. Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS/BOR) 10:06.
11. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ/AST) 10:33.
12. Steven Kruijswijk (NED/JUM) 14:50.
13. Louis Meintjes (RSA/INT) 15:46.
14. Valentin Madouas (FRA / GFJ) 17:54.
15. Primoz Roglic (SLO / JUM) 21:37.
16. Bob Jungels (LUX/AG2) 22:00.
17. Sepp Kuss (USA/JUM) 24:55.
18. Neilson Powless (USA/EF1) 27:16.
19. Rafal Majka (POL/UAE) 31:30.
20. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP/BAH) 38:27.