So far, the French have yet to record a stage win in this year's Tour. One of the last great hopes is Romain Bardet - a young, strong climber who could make his mark on one of the upcoming difficult mountain stages. The 63-kilo pro has been riding for the French AG2R team since 2012 and has already shown several times that he is more than up to the demands of a three-week tour: In each of the last two years he managed top ten places in the overall standings, last year he won the 18th stage and was honoured with the red back number of the most combative rider. This year he is also putting in a solid performance, currently in fifth place and within touching distance of the podium. Bardet's team bike from the German manufacturer Focus is in our portrait today:
