Romain Bardet has announced that he will compete in the Tour de France, which begins July 1 in Copenhagen. The DSM rider, who was in fourth place overall on stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia last month, was forced to abandon the race due to illness.

"I am really excited to announce that I will be participating in Le Tour with Team DSM. I can't wait for the Grande Parle in Copenhagen in a few weeks."

Bardet skipped the Tour in his first season with DSM in 2021, competing in the Giro, where he finished seventh overall, and the Vuelta a España, where he took a stage win atop the Pico Viluercas.

In early 2022, Bardet again expressed his intention to compete in two Grand Tours, but declined to say whether he would return to the Tour de France.

Following his victory in the Tour de Alps, Bardet rode into the Giro as one of the favorites to win the overall, and he was impressive in the opening two weeks, especially at the top of the Brockhaus. At that point, he could have won the Giro, but a stomach ailment forced him to retire on stage 13 in Cuneo.

Bardet's last Tour appearance was at the 2020 AG2R, where he suffered a concussion in a violent crash on stage 13 and had to abandon the race. He started the stage in fourth place overall, hoping to repeat his podium finishes of 2016 and 2017.