Bardet: Picón Blanco will be the first big battle of this Vuelta a España

Romain Bardet (Team DSM)
Romain Bardet (Team DSM) (Image credit: Getty Images)

The memories are fresh but, mercifully, the wounds appear to have healed. Just ten days ago, Romain Bardet led over the summit of Picón Blanco en route to winning stage 3 of the Vuelta a Burgos, but the injuries he sustained in a crash on the descent to the finish would ultimately cost him overall victory.

Bardet renews acquaintances with Picón Blanco on Monday afternoon, when the Vuelta a España brings the curtain down on its opening stanza in Burgos with the first summit finish of the race. The Frenchman outshone many podium contenders in Saturday evening’s opening time trial in Burgos, limiting his losses on Primož Roglič to 17 seconds, and suggesting that he had recovered from the effects of his recent crash.

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Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.