For some champions, the love and respect of fans goes far beyond nationality and achievements: for Romain Bardet, this is certainly the case. The French rider from Team Picnic PostNL concluded his road racing career a few days ago at the Criterium du Dauphine, enjoying the home crowd's reception and the tribute from friends and colleagues.

To celebrate his career and pay homage to the French champion, Ursus has created a special video, published on the Italian brand's social channels. During the last Giro d'Italia, Bardet was followed by a dedicated crew to capture the emotions and behind-the-scenes moments of the athlete in his final participation in a grand tour.

The footage is part of the "Behind the Race" project through which Ursus is documenting its first season alongside a World Tour team. After a long stint with AG2R, Bardet joined the current Team Picnic-PostNL in 2021, becoming the captain and flag bearer of the Dutch squad.

Throughout his career, Bardet secured second place overall at the Tour de France in 2016, third in 2017, the polka dot jersey in 2019, and four Tour stages, even managing to wear the yellow jersey for a day in 2024, at the Rimini finish line. Although he never brought home the long-awaited Tour de France title, the thirty-four-year-old from Brioude certainly won the hearts of fans.

Bardet's palmares also includes the Tour of the Alps 2022, the Tour de l'Ain 2013, a stage at the Vuelta a España, and second place at the World Championships in Innsbruck in 2018, behind Valverde. Beyond the results, his always-attacking racing style - uphill and often downhill - has inspired generations of fans, making him a crowd favorite. 

In his final months as a professional road cyclist, Bardet has been able to leverage the technical qualities of Proxima Team Edition, the Ursus wheel supplied to Team Picnic PostNL, with which the Dutch team is increasingly making its mark on the World Tour's biggest events.

PHOTO Chris Auld