Romain Bardet, why return to the Tour of Italy? RB: Because it opened up great possibilities for me last year. There was a little taste of unfinished compared to last year, my performance. The general classification was not extraordinary (7th). I don’t train for that. It was my first year in the team, a lot of things changed in the winter… We assessed a lot of things and I think I can arrive at the start of the Giro in a better mood compared to last year. It’s a race, a Grand Tour which, if I prepare it specifically, suits me very well. Subscribe to Eurosport to follow a full year of sport!Tour of ItalySurprise: Bardet will compete in the Giro12 HOURS AGOWe imagine that the decision was made last winter…RB: Yes. I have the chance to work calmly and since this winter, we have that in mind, to go to the Giro to do a good general classification. This was reinforced by the announcement of the course. It’s a course that motivates me a lot, very hard in its second part with a lot of trap stages like classics in its first. There are sequences of mountain stages, it will wear out in the third week. There are few lap times too… Nine kilometers of time trial at the start, that doesn’t scare me. On the last day there is a bump in the middle and it’s not long. It will be about freshness and form. It’s not prohibitive as if there were a flat 40 kilometer time trial at the start or in the middle of the Giro. What will be the objective? It’s hard to say. I ran very little, I didn’t get any big results… We invested a lot of energy this year. The goal is not to put pressure on yourself. I think I approach it with very good dispositions, freshness, I was able to train as I wanted. I want to arrive in Budapest (where the Giro 2022 will start) with 100% of my means and the race starts. As for knowing if I’m going to do 5th, 6th or higher, I hope… It doesn’t matter, the main thing will be to give it my all.Bernal untouchable, Bardet opportunist, Yates off the hook: the summary of the 16th stage 6th place is better than last year…There is ambition, more than last year. Last year was different, it was my first Giro, my first big race in my new team, with training that had changed but that I hadn’t yet taken full advantage of. I had a few difficult days but I was still in the Top 5 until the last lap. There were encouraging signs which led me to persevere in the process of preparing it thoroughly for this year. Behind in July, there will be a return to the Tour de France after the impasse in 2021… May, I’m focused on the Giro. I don’t plan on what’s next. I don’t know how things will turn out. I don’t want to attack the Giro with ulterior motives. I have a lot of work to do in Italy and we’ll see what happens next. Delivered, Bardet finally raises his arms: relive his victorious arrival Until then, what will be the program? After the Tour of the Alps (to be continued in live on Eurosport), there may be Liège-Bastogne-Liège. I hope to do so. I’m coming out of a very big training course at altitude. We keep the margin to follow the fatigue day by day during the Tour of the Alps and monitor the sensations. As a competitor, I want to race in Liège but we have been preparing for the Giro since November, I don’t want to compromise my chances. I hope to be in Liège, that will mean that I am fresh and that my preparation will have gone well. If you see me there, it will be a good sign…Romain Bardet will be a guest at Bistrot Vélo on Monday May 2 at 6 p.m.Tour of ItalyBardiani, Drone Hopper and Eolo-Kometa invited to the Giro 202228/02/2022 Tour of ItalyArkea-Samsic will skip the Giro02/18/2022 at 11:38