He said goodbye to road cycling a year ago at the end of a long career, but he hasn't tired of pedaling yet: Romain Bardet is indeed involved in gravel racing and is participating in World Cup events in the discipline, but he could soon become a protagonist again in "his" world.

As L'Equipe reveals, Bardet recently rejected an offer from Christian Prudhomme who had considered him for a position of responsibility in the organizational structure of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, but we could soon see him back in the technical staff of Decathlon CMA CGM.

Bardet has always been connected to the Savoy team: grown in the Chambery Cyclisme academy, he turned professional in 2012 with AG2r la Mondiale, defending their colors for nine seasons. Now a truly ambitious project awaits him: to become the mentor, the master, the point of reference for Paul Seixas, the rising star of French cycling, the great French hope to reclaim the Tour de France which has been missing since 1985, the year of Bernard Hinault's last triumph.

The details of the collaboration are not yet defined, they will probably be in the coming weeks, but certainly Bardet - second at the Tour de France in 2016 and third in 2017 - has plenty of experience to put at the service of his young fellow countryman, a detail that should certainly not be underestimated.