Key points:
 Following an encouraging start to the season in France (2nd on the Tour du Haut-Var, 4th in the Classic de l’Ardèche, and 7th in the Drome Classic), Romain Bardet is heading into his sixth participation in Paris-Nice, where he has just one top 10 result (9th in 2016).
 Aware of the importance of the race on the French calendar, the leader of the AG2R team carefully assumes his status as an underdog, while he keeps his focus on his main objective of the season: the Tour de France.

Photo by Gerhard Plomitzer
On the last two weekends of your return to competition, what is your current level and what are the lessons that you can learn from your preparation at this stage?
‘‘On these races, the result is a bonus. I race them to finish my preparation and regain a good feeling on the bike. You have to be very clever during these races to go for a victory and it doesn’t always work out, but I was not too concerned about the results. However, I knew it was a very good weekend of racing.”
So, are you close to your ideal condition to take on Paris-Nice?
“The month of March will be very important. This is when we will see if the work put in during winter pays off. I am not worried because physically, I feel that I am at a good level. But that doesn’t necessarily guarantee a result, because you can always have an off day on a key stage of Paris-Nice. I can’t take anything for granted, but I think I am in good shape.”
This year you are making your return to Paris-Nice, a race in which you have never shown your full potential. How do you explain this?
“It’s a race I’ve never managed to handle properly, so I’m going with a lot of caution. I never know what to expect. The format suits me a little less than that of the Dauphiné, for example. There are one or two hard stages on Paris-Nice, versus four on the Dauphiné. I am a rider who loves the heat and I feel stronger when after I have put in a good amount of racing. In Paris-Nice, up until now I have never managed to find this level of performance, but we’ll see if I get there this year.”
„I want to shine on Paris-Nice before the end of my career“
What are you expecting from Paris-Nice, what can be your goal in these conditions?
“I see the season as a linear progression just until the Tour de France. And what I’m looking for in races like Paris-Nice are moments when I’m taking a new step forward. I realize that with Paris-Nice, the story is still to be written. Up until now my best memory is the Brioude stage when in my second year as a professional, in 2013. On that day I was the protagonist of the race, that Andrew Talanski won (editor’s note: Bardet was 6th). But as the French calendar is very important to me, I want to shine on Paris-Nice before the end of my career.”
Does the route of the 2019 edition give you thought of aiming this time for a spot on the podium? How do you intend to take on the marquee stage that will finish on the Col de Turini, for example?
“The Turini is a rather long ascension, but I don’t think it is tailor-made for the pure climbers. It is quite consistent, conducive to an elevated and very linear pace. It is a nice climb, but there are not many gradient changes. It will be a 40-minute climb, in the month of March, which could be interesting. There will also be a quite significant time-trial compared to the difficulties in the mountains and that does not work in my favour. And among those who will race for the general classification, I think that I am one of the few that has not yet ridden in a time-trial this season. I will be very serious and committed. But I mostly target the Dauphiné and the Tour. Of course, I want to do well, to get a positive result and move the team forward. In fact, we will have another contender with Tony Gallopin.”

PARIS-NICE CHALLENGE
After three superb initial editions, Paris-Nice Challenge will be back on Saturday 16th March, the day before the professionals reach the race’s finish. This cyclo-sportive that winds through the countryside around Nice is the first major event of the season. It offers amateur cyclists the opportunity of riding along the same route as the last stage of Paris-Nice, just 24 hours before the professional pack.
Information and registration on timeto.com and www.parisnicechallenge.com
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