Romain Bardet, who was hoping to win the Tour Down Under overall, lost two minutes on stage 2 due to a broken derailleur, but rallied on stage 3 to finish 11th, just 15 seconds behind stage winner Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo).

Bardet finished his 2019 season in the Tour de France and then traveled to Australia after the Christmas break to start the season early. He took the polka-dot jersey as best climber, but was deeply disappointed that he could not compete as well as in the past, finishing 15th overall as French rivals Julien Alaphilippe and Pino Thibault battled for stage wins, the yellow jersey, and the admiration of the French public.

Bardet chose to sit out the 2020 Tour de France and instead compete in the Giro d'Italia. He was eager to show his form at the Tour Down Under after a winter of mixing cyclocross racing and track work with road training, but mechanical problems ended his hopes of overall success.

"I was hit hard by a rider coming from behind. I then had to ride again to get a new wheel. My overall chances are definitely over, but there's nothing I can do about it," Bardet told Cycling News with a shrug on Friday.

"It's a shame, but I came here to start the season and it would have been nice to be in contention for GC, but sometimes things happen in cycling that you can't control. I have a good rider in Andrea Vandrame and he is in a good position overall, so I will work for him and see what I can do."

Bardet could compete in the final stage on Willunga Hill on Sunday, but admitted that he is not in the same form as overall contenders Richie Porte, Rohan Dennis, Simon Yates, and Daryl Impey.

"The race is pretty much under control, so it won't be easy to get freedom, but I want to test my legs and my form.

Despite his misfortune, Bardet has no regrets about his trip to the southern hemisphere for the start of 2020.

"It was a very good trip. I'm glad I came to Australia. It's like summer, it's easy to get carried away with the early races, but the season is long and you have to go step by step."

Bardet returns to France on Monday after nearly a month of racing in Australia. His next race is the Tour du Var, a short stage race in the south of France from February 20-23.