After two days in yellow, Alex Baudin is no longer the leader of the Tour de Romandie. As he expected strongly before the curled stage of the WorldTour event (read here). The EF Education-Easypost runner understood along the way that the end of the stage was going to be difficult. He finally returned weapons after only six of the 21 kilometers of the final climb leading to Thyon 2000. “My heart was not going up. I couldn’t press, I was 300 watts. Frankly, it was ridiculous. Even in training, I could go up faster”he said at the microphone of Directvelo, With a slight smile, and great fatigue, a few moments after cutting the line.
Once loose, we had to stay focused to correctly reach the arrival. “It was super long, especially that we let go a little in the heads in these moments. I knew that by letting go so far, I was not going to make a feat, with hard legs like concrete”. He arrived in the Valais winter sports station beyond 40th place, more than ten minutes from his compatriot, and new yellow jersey, Lenny Martinez (see classification).
“A great experience”
The former winner of the Limousin Tour will have lived “A great experience” On this Tour de Romandie, being a leader for the very first time in his career as a race on the WorldTour calendar. “I still had a great team to support me today. It allowed us to make the stage in front and especially in the descents. We were all the time well placed, so it was top”. Even if the final time remains, he draws up a “Good assessment” From his week, with the disappointment of having been trapped by Lorenzo Fortunato at the Grande Béroche, when he was taken from power on Thursday.
This Saturday, he was already thinking of the cut that awaits him in the coming days. “It will be necessary. I have made a good chain with Basque-Ardennaises and Romandie Country. I pay it a little, I start to be burnt”.
