Bardet makes brief Tour appearance as water carrier

A month after hanging up his wheels, former Tour de France podium finisher Romain Bardet found himself back at the race on Monday – but this time on the roadside, handing out water bottles to former teammates during Stage 10.

The 34-year-old Frenchman, once hailed as the great home hope and a perennial team leader at the Tour, made a surprise appearance in the Massif Central, the region he calls home.

Where he once attacked on mountain passes, Bardet was instead offering bidons to Picnic PostNL riders – a quiet, symbolic role-reversal that was not lost on fans or the peloton.

Bardet retired last month following the Criterium du Dauphine, ending a career that included two Tour podiums, in 2016 and 2017, and four stage victories on the world's biggest race.

While his days of leading GC battles are over, Bardet’s brief stint as a water carrier showed he is still very much part of the cycling family.