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Romain Bardet, the leader of the AG2R La Mondiale team, who had started the Tour de France stage against Puy Mary in fourth place overall, dropped out of the race on Friday night after testing revealed he had a concussion. .
Bardet crashed in the middle of the thirteenth stage, with some 90 kilometers to go. After being helped to his feet, he fell back, but then, supported and encouraged by team personnel, he got back on and kept running, although he had fallen to the eleventh overall pace at the end.
“Romain suffers from a concussion, the intensity and signs of which he presented after the stage, which required our medical team to undergo a brain scan at Clermont Ferrand University Hospital,” said his AG2R team physician, Eric Bouvat, in a release. “This examination did not reveal any injuries. However, it is necessary for Romain to stop his sporting activities and he will not be able to start the stage tomorrow ”.
Bardet, who finished second overall in 2016 and third overall in 2017, hails from Brioude at Massif Central, not far from the end of the stage. “This stage on my roads was the exact opposite of what I expected,” said Bardet. “The fall was violent, downhill and I fought all day. The medical tests confirmed what I was feeling and I cannot continue in the race ”.
His team manager, Vincent Lavenu, said: “We are all sad to see Romain leave us, at home, on his roads, at a stage where he dreamed of shining. He showed, once again, admirable courage and fought like a lion until the end of the stage ”.
However, now serious questions will be asked about the medical evaluations and protocols that allowed a clearly dazed rider to race down mountain roads to finish the stage.
The safety of cyclists and the sport’s duty of care towards its athletes have been highly controversial issues since the racing season restarted after the lockdown with a series of high-profile incidents. In recent weeks, cyclists have openly criticized his treatment and even staged a spontaneous slow march during the rain-lashed first leg of this year’s Tour.
