Romain Bardet hugged his young Team DSM teammate Timen Arensmann as they crossed the finish line of stage 5 of the Tour de l'Alps, for pulling away from Pero Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) on the final climb and helping him win in Lienz He thanked.

Bardet started stage 5 of the Tour of the Alps two seconds behind Bahrain-Victorias, but pulled away from him on the steep climb of Stonach and joined Arensmann and Michael Stoller (Groupama-FDJ) in a time trial to take second place overall by 14 seconds! He emerged in second place overall by 14 seconds. Allenman moved up to third overall by 16 seconds, while Bilbao dropped to fourth by 37 seconds.

Bardet could have put the race together and overtaken Bilbao by winning the final stage and earning a larger time bonus. However, Bardet chose a more aggressive and decisive strategy.

"I concentrated on the GC battle and didn't let anyone get in my way in the break. All I had to do was concentrate on the final climb and widen the gap to Pero Bilbao," Bardet explained, but his strategy was much more difficult to execute than it was to be precise.

"The sprint would have been difficult, so I wanted to buy some time. It worked out better than I expected. With Arensmann with me, I was able to increase the gap. In the end it worked out. It was a good win."

With the overall win and third place, Team DSM now has enough UCI points to fight for relegation to the WorldTour.

Bardet joined Team DSM last year and after many years with AG2R, he was looking for a change. While many others have struggled to fit in with the team's ways, Bardet seems more content than ever.

"Certainly changing teams has helped me a lot," he said. I'm fresher because I'm training with fewer races. I'm also happy that I don't feel as much pressure as I used to. I race with achievable goals.

Bardet denied any criticism or doubt about Team DSM's methods.

"We don't feel pressure. We concentrate on ourselves and do everything right, training and everything else. That's why we mixed it up in the sprint. We were one step away from Bilbao. But today we shifted to going for GC and that's what we went for."

Bardet has a podium finish at the Tour de France and a stage win at the 2021 Vuelta a España, but has not won a stage race since the 2013 Tour de l'Ain.

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) won stage 5 for the first time in 1000 days, making it a great day for French cycling.

Bardet and Pinot have very different personalities, but similar abilities and race results. As they passed each other near the podium of the Tour de Alps, they smiled and exchanged congratulations. The French generation, now veterans, can still show their abilities.

"It's a good day for French cycling," Bardet said.

"I know Thibault really well. We grew up racing together, we were both juniors in the French national team, and we've competed in the Tour de France many times.

"A new generation of French riders is emerging, but I don't think we have lost our ability to compete for Grand Tour stages and Grand Tour podiums. Today's joint success bodes well for the rest of the season."

Bardet also paid tribute to 22-year-old Allenman, who played a key role in his victory and wore the white jersey of best young rider.

"He is a very nice guy and now a good friend. I think I've spent more time with him than anyone else in the last few months, including my wife," Bardet joked.

"He is one of the biggest talents I have seen in the sport. He has a big engine and he's a nice guy.

"He is still young and we have to take the pressure off him. He has the mindset to be the next great champion."