One Last Tour de France, with a Twist: Romain Bardet Extends with DSM

A figurehead of the sport and a rider that is beloved by fans worldwide, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL have revealed that ahead of what will be his last participation at the Tour de France, they have extended their contract with Romain Bardet through 2025.

Hailing from Brioude in France, Romain entered the professional peloton with AG2R La Mondiale in 2012 and has gone on to become one of the most prominent and well-respected riders in the peloton over the years. A leading light and hope for Tour de France glory amongst the French public, Romain’s palmarès speaks for itself with epic second and third places overall at the race in 2016 and 2017. Next to that, he has also taken three stage wins and a famous polka dot jersey.

Romain’s career has also impressed with a silver medal at the World Championships and multiple podiums and places of honour in the biggest stage races in the world. Since joining Team dsm-firmenich PostNL in 2021, he tasted success at the Vuelta a España with a memorable stage win, top tens on GC at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France and a resilient and hard fought second place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2024. It’s not just his performances on the bike that should be mentioned, in 2022 he was awarded the ⁠International Fair Play award for his sportsmanship towards fellow rider Julian Alaphilippe, with Romain stopping to assist after Julian was caught up in a heavy crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, taking himself out of contention for a result. To those within the team it’s his professionalism, enthusiasm and a genuine true, authentic kindness to his persona that stand out.

With his glittering record behind him, 2024 will be Romain’s last full road season. In 2025 Team dsm-firmenich PostNL and Romain will have another tilt at the Giro d’Italia, before his last WorldTour level race at the Critérium du Dauphiné; a race on home soil that holds personal significance for the Frenchman.

Hanging up his road wheels, Romain will take on a new adventure in the team’s colours with a discipline that lights the spark for his simple love of all things two-wheeled, gravel racing. Romain will take part in multiple off-road races throughout the second half of the year; enabling him to still find that competitive edge while being able to spend more time with his young family.

Talking about his plans for next year Romain said: “I have really enjoyed my time with the team so far so for me, it was a no-brainer to either continue with them or fully end my career. I am very grateful for the relationship I have with all the team members and for the trust that the management is putting in me. I was not really sure if I wanted to continue cycling, but I still feel that I can bring value and keep chasing big results with the team, so I am happy that we are going into another year together to do something a bit special. For me, this is the way I dreamed of finishing my career. I hope to still chase some big victories with the team in 2025, especially in the Giro, to try and get the missing stage win there. I also feel that I want to give the team something back in this race after doing it together three times. I will also keep working with the younger riders in the team and help them develop towards their GC goals. The Dauphiné will be my final road race, as it is my favourite race on the calendar. It is really mountainous and close to where I live. These are the roads I used to train on a lot, so there couldn’t be a better place to finish my road career. After that, I am really excited to tackle a new challenge and do gravel racing with the support of the team. It will be a kind of transition for me, but I will do my best in some of the World Cups and hope to also do well in the World Championships in Nice in 2025.”

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “It has really been a pleasure to work with Romain over the past few seasons. He is a true professional who always gives his all for the sport and gives energy to those around him. We’ve seen Romain not only perform brilliantly on the bike with us, but he has a passion for helping those around him, and with a voice of wisdom and calmness he helps to guide and mentor the young up-and-coming GC talents within the team. We’re excited that we can continue working with him in his final year on the road and be there to support him as he takes on his new adventure in gravel racing.”