Bardet rumoured to be looking at Giro d'Italia start in 2020

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Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) may opt to ride the Giro d'Italia in 2020 after struggling through this year's Tour de France where he won the polka-dot mountains jersey but only finished 15th overall.

"We're going to wait until the Tour route is published to decide if he'll be there next year," AG2R La Mondiale's sports director Vincent Lavenu told Le Dauphiné Libéré newspaper on Sunday.

"Romain's certainly keen to try other things. He's often expressed his wish to take part in the Giro."

Competing in the Tour de France afterward the Giro d'Italia in 2020, in any case, would not be ruled out.

He's the third Frenchman in three years to do so after Julian Alaphilippe and Warren Barguil, despite only leading over one climb in the entire race.

"Nothing has been easy in this year's Tour," Bardet told the French newspaper. "Thanks to my team, we've managed to reinvent ourselves.

"And with this jersey, this will be the fifth time I go onto the podium on the Champs-Élysées, each time with a different prize. I feel immensely privileged to be able to do so.

"This jersey symbolizes hope and not giving up. It's not been a great year in terms of how I feel. But whatever, you must never give up in life."