Bardet's Vuelta a Espana hopes evaporate in Valencia

After a strong start to his his maiden Vuelta a España, any thoughts Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) had of battling for the overall classification evaporated after he lost nearly seven minutes in the sierras of Valencia.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.