The 2016 Tour de France runner-up confirmed the news via Instagram.
"An MRI in the morning (Saturday) has confirmed a small haemorrhage following the concussion," Bardet wrote.
The 29-year-old crashed with 87 kilometres remaining in Stage 13, getting back on his bike despite a bout of dizziness, as he slipped to 11th on the standings from fourth. Perhaps the most worrying red flag was that he collapsed back to the ground while trying to stand up after the crash.
Bardet's AG2R-La Mondiale team announced soon after that he was pulling out of this year's Tour, after he was taken for an emergency scan that showed he had suffered a concussion.
However, Tour de France medical staff have defended their decision to let the Frenchman continue riding during Stage 13.
The doctors who examined Bardet insist he was fine to ride on, but AG2R-La Mondiale reported that after the finish, he threw up and was groggy.
“All that counts for the riders is to get back on the bike and to start again. If they are able to do it, we eliminate a big head trauma right away”, the head of the Tour medical service, Dr Florence Pommerie said, at the start of Stage 14.
“We followed the rider after his fall.
“Romain Bardet didn’t have any initial loss of consciousness and the examination we did when we arrived was consistent.”
Pommerie said the nature of the sport made it almost impossible to detect a concussion on the spot.
"You're always a bit dizzy when you crash at 40 or 80kph.
"We didn't prevent him from racing because he was showing no clinical signs of a concussion."
Neurologist Paul-Henri Jost, who examined Bardet during the stage, also confirmed the Frenchman passed the initial concussion tests.
“He was back in the peloton and hung onto the medical car for a good 20 minutes after his fall,” Jost said.
“He spoke clearly. He asked for painkillers and gave their names correctly. These are reassuring elements in a neurological examination”.
