Finding Dauphiné Liberation with Bardet and Flecha

If you suggest an alpine bikepacking trip that culminates in watching a mountain stage of the Dauphiné, the definitive warm-up for the Tour de France, you won’t find two people more eager to sign up.

Riding roads they used to rip around in the peloton provides a unique perspective. Over twenty combined appearances at the Tour de France and dozens of starts at the Dauphiné mean these mountain passes are steeped in personal history.

Juan’s final season in the peloton overlapped with Romain’s very first Tour de France. “It perfectly symbolised a passing of the torch. My career was winding down, while his was just beginning. Romain represented the absolute best of that incoming generation. He brought pure panache back to French cycling.”

What started out as a trip to follow the race quickly turned into a fast ride down memory lane. Pushing one another on the slopes of the Galibier, it didn’t take long for the old instincts to kick in, digging deep just like the old days.