At 33 years old and with numerous victories and podiums under his belt, Romain Bardet can answer just about any question about bicycle racing. But when told at a pre-Giro d'Italia press conference on Friday that Tadej Pogachar had named him as a strong GC contender, even a media figure as seasoned as Bardet could not hide a slight look of surprise.

Bardet has a track record of top GC finishes and is clearly in good race condition. He has been on the podium twice in the Tour de France, in 2016 and 2017, and finished in the top five overall in the Tour de l'Alps. His results in the Giro are no slouch either.

Bardet, who finished seventh in the 2021 Giro, would have been in an even more impressive position in 2022 if not for illness, where he was fourth overall at the end of the second week and 14 seconds behind race leader Juanpe Lopez. If this French star is going to try to break the record in 2024, no one can blame him.

But as the leader of Team dsm-Filmenig-Post NL told reporters, at least initially his main goal is to fight for a mountain stage victory, and if that results in a top GC finish, so much the better.

"I'm feeling pretty good and happy to be here. I missed the Giro," Bardet said. The Giro is the best Grand Tour for me and I'm ready to fight for stage wins. So we'll see what happens.

"We need to see how the race unfolds. For now, it's best to focus on all the mountain stages. If I go for the mountain stages, we'll see what happens on GC."

There have been rumors among the Bardet camp that he will retire at the end of the season. But rather than comment on that possibility, he said that his recent top results had given him "a big motivational boost."

"During the winter, I was strongly motivated to get back to the way I approached the 2022 Giro, and my main goal was to try to replicate that kind of form," Bardet said.

"Having satisfying results in the Alps and Liège made me believe that I was on the right path. I want to see how I do in the mountains and seize the opportunity that comes in the third week."

"What I like most about the Giro is being able to race. I think the weather will be really tough in week three, but hopefully we can turn it around with a long run. In any case, what I like about this race is that it is not as "fixed" as other races. There are more opportunities."

As for how the Giro is structured, Bardet, who has the earliest major summit finish in Oropa on Sunday since the second stage on Mount Etna in 1989, says, "It's important to put everything in context. This is the opening weekend. The Giro will be decided in the third week. There may be some differences, but they will all fall within a reasonable time frame."

Besides outright dismissing the possibility of replicating his 2019 Tour de France mountain class win at the Giro d'Italia this May, his first thought was to "find a little space. I don't really think about what I can do in the time trial".

Bardet's main goal is to win a stage at the Vuelta a España in 2021 and complete his "set" of Grand Tour stage wins after three wins in the Tour before that.

But, as he pointed out, "there are also big goals on the flat stages" - a reminder that his teammate and sprinter Fabio Jacobsen was present at the same press conference.

"So rather than thinking about making up time or losing time, I want to see every mountain stage as an opportunity," Bardet concluded.

"I want to play my cards, but I want to approach every day like a classic." Bardet's first test will come as early as Sunday to see if his new approach in a buildup very similar to 2022 will bear fruit. But there are plenty of other tests ahead in this year's Giro.

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