Romain Bardet wins immediately in debut for his new gravel team
Romain Bardet may have retired from professional gravel racing, but he still rides a gravel bike. And not without success. On Friday, he won the RADL GRVL in Australia. The 35-year-old Frenchman did this representing his new gravel team, Factory Racing.
After three and a half hours of solo effort, Bardet crossed the line alone. He beat Cameron Jonas and Alexey Vermeulen in the 127-kilometer race. In the women's race, Nicole Frain (also from Factory Racing) won ahead of Melisa Rollins and Tiffany Cromwell.
Choosing gravel
“I’ve been retired for about six months now, but my life hasn’t fundamentally changed,” he says on the website of bike brand Factory. “Maybe I organize my days a bit differently now, but I’m still working on a solid base. I’m switching to gravel now and treating it with the respect it deserves. If you don’t, you’ll get seriously beaten up every weekend.”
Bardet's daily life has changed somewhat, says the 2016 Tour de France runner-up. “I still ride a lot, but I can no longer fully commit to a strict training plan. I’m going more with the flow. I know I have to push myself on some days to perform well, but now I have a much more balanced life.”
“I still train between 15 and 25 hours a week, depending on travel schedules and other commitments. Gravel racing requires different demands, but I actually like that. And I notice that gravel lets me combine the best of all disciplines.”
