Romain Bardet, ill, abandoned the race on Friday May 20, in the 13th stage without major difficulty leading to Cuneo. The Frenchman was fourth in the general classification, 14 seconds behind the Spanish pink jersey Juan Pedro Lopez. After his abandonment which occurred about an hour after the departure from Sanremo, the Auvergnat, pale-faced, took his place in the passenger seat of his DSM team’s car. RAI, the race broadcaster, explained his abandonment by stomach problems. Bardet, 31, had made the Giro his first big goal of the season. He had been present until this summer day, notably taking second place in the queen stage of the Blockhaus, last Sunday, in Abruzzo. The abandonment of Bardet is his second in twelve participations in the big tours. His only retirement was due to a serious fall which had caused him a head injury in the Tour de France 2020.
Frenchman Romain Bardet abandons in the 13th stage
