Romain Bardet (Ag2r) turned a disastrous Tour de France around when he claimed an emphatic solo win in stage 18.

"I've respected our plan this morning," he said. "I had to make the breakaway and that was the hardest part. In the past few days, we've seen big groups going up the road and that's complicated to deal with. I had to reach the col du Glandon with the smallest group possible. I was keen to attack at the bottom but I knew there would be headwind towards the top so I waited. I've raced as if the finishing line was at the top of the Glandon. 

"We have seen that in this Tour de France there are large groups of 20 to 30 riders. With 29 in the break, it is difficult to maneuver because I am still a little marked in the breakaways. I had two teammates, Christophe (Riblon) and Jan Bakelants, who facilitated my task. 

"I have done the Glandon several times this year. I knew the descent. I wanted to attack but I do not want to show too early that I had good legs and I knew I could get a gap at the top of Glandon. 

“It was a very tricky start today. I think everyone was pretty tired at the start of today, so it was tough for everyone. I’m a good descender so I had just enough energy left at the end to get across the line. I knew the end of this stage really well. We took it on at the end of the Dauphiné as well, so I know this route by heart. The last kilometre, even though I knew them well, were very long.

“To start, getting the breakaway was really hard. It was a fast pace but it was tough to get involved in it. I wanted the victory, so I just had to go through that pain. It’s been amazing, phenomenal, the crowds… it was like being in a football stadium, there was that much noise generated. I felt really supported by the crowd today.

"I am a happy man, yes, but I still have difficulty realizing what I have done . It was a difficult Tour de France with a lot of hopes pinned on me from the start. Perhaps people saw me as being stronger than I really am. We had to be very strong mentally. I always had the support of the team which is a bunch of friends. Yesterday I had bad sensations. I was close to giving up. I thought, "You are preparing for the Tour for three months, you have to keep fighting." Then I said, ".. Come on, we do not give up. You never know what can happen" I was really good today. I was in front and my boldness paid off.

"Last year, we experienced an extraordinary Tour with favorable circumstances. The Tour gave a lot of pressure. We must stay focused for 21 stages and don't have the stature for that. It takes a long time to learn how to do it. It is possible to compete with the best on some stages. I humbly reply that for me it is still early times. I hope to fight for the win  one day but for now I'm enjoying riding as I do. It's the cycling that I like. 
 

"Clearly in Mende I made a mistake. I didn't know there was a downhill after the climb. In the evening I couldn't believe that I hadn't won. But I never lost the support of my team. That's how I managed to bounce back. We did it as a team. I had two team-mates with me in the breakaway today. They were a great help. Losing at Mende has made me a winner today.

"I'm pretty surprised to get into the top 10. I was afraid because they were chasing behind to keep places overall. I am well placed in the mountains classification too. We'll see tomorrow how the legs will respond but they may be empty."

"It feels amazing," his teammate Mikael Cherel said. "It was a great performance today. Romain was so determined today. Of course, we’re motivated every day, but today was something else. He won as a champion, he descended so well and I’m so happy for the team.

"It’s part of bike riding; you have to know how to climb and you have to know how to descend. He does it really really well, and it allows him to win big stages like today. For the team it’s just a great day."