Paris (AFP)

Change of program for Romain Bardet: the Auvergnat confirmed Thursday its participation in the Tour de France rather than the Giro, without however expressing itself on its ambitions in a race which it finished twice on the podium.

"We were able to get up with a big smile," said Bardet during a conference call held the day after the announcement of the new Tour dates, postponed by two months (August 29 to September 20). "I will be part of it if the Tour takes place on the scheduled dates. It's a big prospect. I'm hungry to put on a bib and get involved in the fight."

Confined like the other French riders since mid-March, the leader of the AG2R La Mondiale team admitted: "It was not easy to manage. In the morning, we weren't sure why we were riding the bike. resumption dates, it's exciting. "

The triple stage winner of the Tour explained his change from the Giro, which he planned to discover in 2020: "There are still big doubts about the format of the Giro and the Vuelta. We are talking about three weeks (of racing ) but will it really be the case? We can see that the Tour de France takes center stage this season. I don't see myself spending September at home waiting for the Giro and the Vuelta. "

Second in the Grande Boucle in 2016 and third in 2017, Bardet (29) refused to mention specific ambitions: "This is a year with big strangers. It is far too early to talk about sports goals. I think that, given the interests at stake, all of the great leaders of the peloton will be on the Tour de France. And, on the proposed route, it risks making an exciting race. Everyone will arrive with the knife between the teeth. "

- A different pedaling technique -

"There are much bigger problems in society, but we are trying to do our job as best as possible," he added, adding that the fairly distant end of August "seems to be quite realistic" to "resume a semblance of normal life, we hope in any case".

"The confinement socially isolates a lot, we need a big party like the Tour to get together, it will be a central event, an anchor," continued the runner from Brioude (Haute-Loire), who said application for selection for the world championship scheduled for Switzerland one week after the finish of the Tour.

"There is a beautiful chain that is looming with the world championship. Afterwards, we will see how to be competitive on the + monuments +", announced Bardet who refuted the hypothesis of running two Grand Tours.

The French runner, father of five weeks, said he had gained between 1 and 2 kilos since the end of the competitions.

"It remains very correct, he smiled. It will not be the major brake to get back in shape. I have more concerns about my endurance and my pedaling technique. It is not at all the same technique on the rollers, we stay seated, the bike is stationary, there will then be time to adapt. On the first outings, it will not be famous. We may do three hours of home trainer, it's still far which we are used to doing especially on the great classics ".

© 2020 AFP