This Friday afternoon, just after 4pm local time, the Tour de France will pass through a small town named Mélisey. It’s a typical French place, home to around 1,600 people, with old stone buildings, a post office and a couple of boulangeries. There’ll be bunting and fans decked in polka dots, as there always is. But there’s also something special about Mélisey.

On a farm within the commune’s hedgerows, one of France’s most beloved cycling sons wakes up each day at around 6am to tend to his animals. He feeds the sheep, goats and highland cows, and some nights has to head out in the early hours to help with births.

His lifestyle today is a far cry from three years ago when the Tour last visited the region. Then, riding in his final edition for Groupama-FDJ, Thibaut Pinot led solo over the Col du Petit Ballon, through a sea of thousands of fans. They waved flares and signs, and roared in the Frenchman’s face, carrying him through his farewell Tour on his home training roads.

Now retired and working as a farmer, Pinot will be among them at the roadside on stage 13. “That’s going to be a very strange and very beautiful feeling,” he said.

So what happened to Pinot after that final stage in the Vosges? He’s done few interviews since he left the sport at the end of 2023, preferring instead to retreat from public life into the bubble of his farm. This weekend, however, he has decided to open up his gates; in collaboration with Airbnb, he’s letting one family stay with him, free of charge, to experience the Tour passing through his hometown for the first time.

It will be, in his words, “a loop closing, in a way”.

“It’s a way to shine a light on the region and the town where I was born, where I grew up, where I always came back to between races, and where I chose to stay,” he said in quotes provided exclusively to Cycling Weekly.

“I was lucky enough to travel to beautiful places all over the world, but coming back here always had a different flavour, something I never found anywhere else.”

It was always Pinot’s plan to retire into anonymity. For years, he had been the darling of French cycling, adored as much for his victories – he claimed three stage wins at the Tour, including on Alpe d’Huez in 2015 and the Col du Tourmalet in 2019 – as his raw emotion, strained pain faces and teary post-race interviews.

Over 14 years as a pro cyclist, though, the attention from fans grew overwhelming at times. Now he’s enjoying the calm.

“The animals don’t know who you are or what you’ve won. That feels good,” he said.

“After so many years on the road, being able to go out in the morning and have this space around me, my land, my family, that means a lot to me. There’s also something deeply satisfying about work that produces something real, something concrete. Every day, you can see what you’ve done. That grounding in something real, I had been missing it.”

This isn’t to say, of course, that his new life is easy. Far from it. Pinot may no longer be training or racing, but with almost 300 animals to care for, he rarely downs tools before nine or 10 at night.

“It can sometimes be hard to anticipate what your day will look like,” he said. “You can do everything right, plan for everything, and then bad weather, a sick animal, a problem you didn’t see coming, and your whole plan changes. As a professional athlete, you spend years optimising every variable. Farming teaches you to let go.

“At first, I found that hard to accept. I came into this profession wanting to do things properly, and I was lucky to be surrounded by neighbours and friends here who were extraordinary and supported me at every stage of learning this trade.

“They didn't treat me like a former cyclist playing at being a farmer; they passed on their knowledge, took me seriously, corrected me when I got things wrong. Without them, it would have been so much harder.”

It’s likely the Tour will pass through Mélisey today with little fanfare. The riders will hurtle into the town, through the stage's only intermediate sprint, and on to the finish in Belfort. It may take five minutes for the whole cavalcade to pass, and calmness to resume.

But there, for those five minutes at least, Pinot will be part of the Tour circus again. For both him and fans alike, it will be a loop closing, in a way.

Cycling Weekly requested to speak directly with Thibaut Pinot but was told an interview would not be possible. The quotes in this article were provided exclusively by a PR representative for Airbnb.

Former pro cyclist Thibaut Pinot is giving one family the chance to stay with him at his farm, completely free of charge, during this summer’s Tour de France.

The Frenchman has teamed up with Tour partner Airbnb for the exclusive experience, which includes a three-night stay and a helicopter ride – with Pinot – to watch stage 13 on 17 July, the day the race passes through his hometown of Mélisey.

The package also includes a welcome barbecue hosted by Pinot, a bike ride, a lakeside picnic, and access to the team paddock on the day of the Tour stage.

“I’m proud to open the doors to my new life and my farm in Mélisey, in Haute-Saône, to help people discover the region where I grew up and to which I’m deeply attached,” Pinot said in a press release.

“With the Tour de France passing through the village, it’s the perfect opportunity to show that our countryside has just as much to offer as anywhere else, and that we’re really at home here.”

Pinot's host experience is open to a single family of up to six people from 16-19 July. It covers accommodation and meals, although guests are expected to pay for their own transport to and from the farm.

The stay will be available to request to book at 9am UK time on 19 June at airbnb.com/thibautpinot. Given its exclusivity, it will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Pinot retired from his career as a pro cyclist at the end of 2023, following 14 years with Groupama-FDJ. During that time, he won three Tour stages, finished on the podium of the race in 2014, and became one of France’s most beloved riders, known for his attacking style on the bike and raw sentimentality off it.

Alongside his racing, Pinot kept a hobby farm with goats, sheep and cows, which he turned into his full-time job on retiring.

“The idea of running a farm and working the land has always been a part of me. Thanks to cycling, I’ve been able to build all this up for myself,” he told L’Équipe in 2023.

“I’ve always wanted to create things using what nature provides, like making honey, growing my own fruit and vegetables, and seeing what animals have to offer. [I'd also like to] run a bed and breakfast.”

Pinot’s farm stay is one of a number of Tour de France experiences offered through Airbnb to mark the second year of the holiday company’s partnership with the race.

Airbnb is also giving fans the chance to ride part of the Tour route with former pro Pierre Rolland, join a group ride with 1995 Vuelta a España winner Laurent Jalabert, and dine at a Michel-starred restaurant in Paris.

Last year, Mark Cavendish hosted a free sprinting masterclass inside Paris's Grand Palais through Airbnb.

Away from all the racing, the big news this week was the release of the second season of Netflix's Tour de France docuseries, Unchained. 

I'll admit, I've only seen the first episode. My colleague, Adam Becket, has watched all 320 minutes of it, and thinks it's a "thrilling must-see", so I'll certainly be binge-watching the rest over the weekend.  

My favourites scenes in these sorts of documentaries are those that take place outside of the bubble of bike racing, the moments that show a rider in the comfort of their own home, doing something mundane like the rest of us do. 

For that reason, I found myself spellbound during episode one by the footage of Thibaut Pinot, France's sweetheart, tossing a bagful of croissants into a lake. 

It wasn't so much the action itself, but rather the memory it jogged of Pinot's farewell Tour. The former Groumapa-FDJ rider retired at the end of last season, following an emotional send-off at his home Grand Tour, and has slipped out of public consciousness this year. Seeing him back on my screen was a delight, even if he was just feeding some fish. 

That said, and I'm not an expert, I have some questions about Pinot's feeding technique. First of all, he seems to do exactly what my mum told me not to do on childhood outings to the duck pond: he throws entire hunks of bread into the lake. Unless the fish he's feeding are human-sized, surely tear them up a bit, Thibaut? 

And secondly, just how many fish is he feeding? Pinot turns up with three sack fulls of croissants and bread, and lobs the entirety of their contents into the water. By the end of the scene, the lake looks like a giant, murky minestrone soup. Are we talking a four-figure number of fish? Surely not five figures? Or is there a select group with the appetite of a bear? If I run into the Frenchman at the Tour this year, this will be the first question I ask him. 

Check out a snippet of the scene below. Also across social media this week, Yves Lampaert spends an evening building a Lego tractor, Alison Jackson enjoys some crisps, and one rider dares to wheelie on a fixed-gear track bike.  

1. For lunch they're having coq au vin and a glass of red wine

2. Yves Lampaert is, after all, "just a farmer's son from Belgium"

3. Shoe pastry anyone? 

4. Big congratulations to Lizzie Deignan, who has taken one step closer to becoming Queen Elizabeth III

5. SD Worx-Protime love winning so much that they'll celebrate for anyone over the line

6. This is either the look of a man who means business, or one who has just realised he left his rucksack at the pub

7. Here's a lesson in cyclists' math from Alison Jackson

8. Demi Vollering's dog, Flo, has done more miles on the bike than me this year

9. A wheelie? On a track bike? Now that's real flair

10. These new helmet designs are starting to get out of hand

11. This set-up may not be aero, but at least it'll get some nice shots

12. And finally – please excuse the poor word play – a Cofidis rider got just what he Wanty'd when a fan stepped in to give him a push at the Tour de Suisse

When I eventually retire, potentially well into my 70s, so this could be 2070 really, I hope that my final day at work is as raucous as Thibaut Pinot's. The man from the Haute-Saône was greeted like the hero on a valedictory lap that he was, but how the whole thing was for the reasonably shy and introverted Groupama-FDJ rider, that's another question.

As he put it last week, in one of his final interviews as a professional bike rider: “I think I am more stressed to see them [his fans] than they are to meet me."

However, it did look a lot of fun, watching the party at Il Lombardia on social media. Imagine, if on your last day at the office, at the shop, in the warehouse or whatever, hundreds of people turned up with flares to scream you on and just pat you on the back. Well, that's what I'll dream of anyway. In reality, if the world still exists in forty years time, I'll be writing one last thing and then logging off, simple. Being a professional bike rider is weird, man.

Pinot is almost certainly happier now he's out of the limelight, and that's no bad thing - just more time to spend on his farm, with the goats.

Elsewhere in the world of cycling social media, there's evidence of riders really getting into their off-season, which is what we like to see here at Tweets of the Week, you really need some work/life balance. There's also some excellent transfer announcement posts, and Florian Vermeersch has a much more impressive contact book than I do.

1. Thibaut Pinot's leaving gift? Well, a goat, of course

2. Sadly, this dastardly fan's plan did not work, with Thibaut Pinot finishing 37th, and the best Jumbo-Visma rider, Primož Roglič, coming 3rd. Still, this is fun. More fun in cycling, please

3. Now we get into the meat of the matter, imagine cycling through here, imagine how chaotic and fun this would be. Us mortals will never experience anything like this, sadly, but it's nice to dream

4. Christine Majerus, off-season ready, asks if anyone is afraid of her in sliders. I mean, I'm not sure I'd want to mess with her. It looks idyllic, anyway.

5. Two things on Magnus Cort's off-season snaps. Firstly, how lovely it all looks, genuinely, I think I might want his life? Secondly, the man is the most Scandinavian man I've ever seen. The moustache. The hair. The roll neck jumpers. The jacket. Ah man.

6. If you're going to ride the Gravel World Championships, you definitely deserve a gelato. This picture is what everyone loves about cycling, right?

7. If I had Tadej Pogačar's phone number, I would also be boasting about it. However, the most interesting answer here is Florian Vermeersch, who has the Belgian prime minister's number. What! Why? Is Florian going to go from local councillor to minister soon?

8. Squeeze every last drop of content out of Roglič before he goes, that's the plan, huh? We need to talk about how the Slovenian's lack of eloquence has gone from annoying to a meme, really

9. The Ineos lads are done with their year and are ready to go out out out. I'm not sure I'd fit in, I don't often wear a shirt or drink wine, but I'd love to know what they chatted about

10. Did you know Rigoberto Uran has well over a million followers on Instagram? Well you do now. Here he is with the champions of Ecuador, Colombia, and Ireland. Simple

11. Congratulations to Ellen van Dijk and Benjamin on the birth of their baby boy. I wonder if he will ever set an Hour Record?

12. I haven't enjoyed all of Lidl-Trek's t-shirt announcements this transfer season, but this Tim Declercq one is pretty special. I want to see the Belgian in an actual machine at some point over the next year, please

13. Is this good? I don't think so particularly, but it certainly caught everyone's eye. Congrats to Caleb/Crocodile Ewan on the new deal

14. So many things to dislike about the idea of being a professional cyclists, but being trapped in an airless lift with 10 other men in lycra would probably be up there

15. ICYMI the women's Giro next year will be called the Giro d'Italia Women. For some reason.

16. Romain Bardet looks fine, but these looks actually suit Charlotte Kool? Maybe she will find some outfit inspiration from this

17. And finally.. We have found exclusive footage of Ineos Grenadiers' plan to get back on top in 2024

18. Oh, farewell Thibaut

Come Saturday evening, Thibaut Pinot will no longer be a professional bike rider. The man from Haute-Saône in eastern France will climb off his bike after Il Lombardia, conduct his last post-race interviews, take off his kit one final time, shower, and then cease to be a cyclist. Come Sunday, the 33-year-old will likely already be back home, at his farm, preparing to live his new life with his goats.

Not simply exist, though, in a post-cycling haze, but actually live his life, have fun, relish his rural actuality. As he told French newspaper Libération, at the Tour of Luxembourg last month: “I am finally going to enjoy my life.”

Some seek fame; others have fame thrust upon them. The Groupama-FDJ rider was very much the latter, he never did understand his fame. In that same Libé interview, the Frenchman expresses his bemusement at the love fans have shown him over his career: “I can’t understand. I don’t really have an answer to all that.”

The thing is, Pinot does engender a fierce adoration, a respect, even sympathy, from his fans, even if it is not wanted, or at least not demanded. Unlike others at the top of the sport, he shows how he really feels, from his suffering to his adulation, it is all there to see. 

What he inspires is not the shallow adulation of social media either, but a tangible effervescence on the roadside. Thibaut Pinot is something else; people can watch the best riders in the world ride past and contain themselves, but lose themselves in his presence.

I was there, at the Tour of the Alps in 2022, when in a typical attack, Pinot launched himself clear, spending 74km up the road alone, in search of a win that he hoped would soothe the pain of having gone without one since 2019. However, he did not count on other riders having a say. Inevitably, he was caught and dropped by Miguel Ángel López, crushing his dream of turning a "s***ty page" in his career.

He sat there, on the side of the road, in the quiet Austrian Alpine village of Kals am Großglockner, sat back against the metal barrier, distraught. While other riders would have gone straight to the bus, Pinot remained there, staring into space. Would that win have truly made him fall back in love with cycling? It's doubtful. While he won the next day, the image of him heartbroken will live longer in my memory than of him winning.

He hasn't won this year, but it was never about that with Pinot. With him the losses almost seemed more important than the wins. The pain and heartbreak, so evident to see, made the wins, when they came mean something. 

It's not that we enjoyed seeing him miss out, lose, but it was perhaps easier to relate to. Who among us doesn't carry upon our person the brand of the pain of falling short of our ambitions? It's the reason the blues persists, the reason bleak films and fiction exist, it's the reason the sad music of artists like boygenius or Nick Cave can fill arenas.

But, in sport that alone is not enough, there must also be hope and Pinot provided regular doses. In 2023 he came close again and again at the Giro d'Italia, finishing second on two stages, living up to his moniker as the nearly man, allowing him to show his emotion on repeat. 

It was the same at the Tour de France, where he was in the breakaway five times, including one last time on stage 20 to Le Markstein. He rolled the dice one last time, made the breakaway, attacked with 31km to go, only to be caught with 13km still to race. He finished seventh. One more near miss, for the king of near misses.

On one bend on the Petit Ballon there was a whole Pinot fan club, hordes of fans crying out for their hero - the stage was close to his home - and it felt like the perfect send off.

Not that Pinot likes meeting his adoring public: “I think I am more stressed to see them than they are to meet me."

“Thibaut Pinot is a unique rider," his team boss, Marc Madiot explained that day, barely drawing a breath over the next paragraph. "He’s a unique rider because, when you look at his palmarès, it’s a few lines on a sheet of paper. But each line has a meaning, a story. Why is there so much emotion today? Well, quite simply because I think he’s an authentic rider. He lays himself bare, he shows everyone what he’s about. 

"Sometimes I’ve even called him up on it and said, ‘You’re giving too much of yourself.’ But actually, it’s what has created his strength and his popularity with the fans. Thibaut never pretends. When you’re with him every day in the team, it’s not always easy, because you feel his torment and difficulty along with him. But conversely when he goes on the hunt for success, he carries you in his arms. 

"It’s really, really, really unique. When people make rankings of the best riders in history, Pinot won’t be there. But he’ll be remembered as one of the most real riders.”

Pinot probably won't win Il Lombardia on Saturday, although he did win it in 2018, one of the crowning achievements of his career. It's crucial not to forget he won 33 races, was the best young rider at the Tour de France, finished on the podium of the same race, won the mountains jersey at the Giro. He has been a great rider.

However, his position in the sport has been elevated through his near-misses, his attempts, and the fact that he has been so emotive through it all.

As Madiot put it: “We can think: it wasn’t always easy. But we lived it.”

Pinot is not the only rider retiring this weekend; Paris-Tours sees the end of the careers of Greg van Avermaet and Tony Gallopin. Just last weekend Peter Sagan stepped off his bike for a final time. Pinot's departure feels different though, the end of an era of riders showing how they really feel, perhaps the last of the great emoters in the sport of cycling. We live in an age of media-trained automatons to which the man from the Haut-Saône did not belong, could not belong.

Farewell, Thibaut. I hope the extra time with the goats brings you happiness. 

You hear him coming. The roar of the crowd follows Thibaut Pinot as he passes, so you know the Frenchman is on his way, wherever you are. At the start of stage 20 of the Tour de France in Belfort on Saturday, the roars were almost cacophonous in the arena that was provided by the walls of the Citadelle for the sign-on.

The Groupama-FDJ rider is loved by the fans, fans who were using one of their last opportunities to cheer him before he exits stage left. Pinot is retiring at the end of the year, so stage 20 was the last time that many of the roadside will see him before he heads to his farm, and leaves the public world.

People love Pinot because he tries so hard, tries so hard but never quite delivers on everything that was expected of him. The great hope of French cycling of his generation has 33 career victories, including three Tour stage wins, and a podium finish, but never quite hit the heights that had been drawn for him. For every triumphant win there is a multiple heartbreaking losses.

Even at this Tour, his valedictory ride, the 33-year-old has been trying as hard as ever to get that one last win, just as desperately as he was at the Giro d'Italia earlier this year. It just didn't happen. On Saturday, Pinot rolled the dice one last time, made the breakaway, attacked with 31km to go, only to be caught with 13km still to race. He finished seventh. One more near miss, for the king of near misses.

“It was an incredible stage," he told French television post-stage, amid crowds that went wild for him. "I was really motivated. For the last few days I’ve only had this in my mind. In the end, I did what I could to try and bridge across to the front group. For me, though, It was just pure joy.”

He won the combativity prize on Saturday, but it's unlikely that the gold numbers will make him happy. However, his performance on stage 20 probably should, as he proved once more that he was willing to try, to entertain, to show emotion. His last big ride out being on home roads probably also helped.

“I’m at home here. It’s crazy. These are my training routes, It’s here that I always…” his voice trailed off as he choked up. “I’m heavy-hearted. It feels like a page of my story is ending today.”

On one bend on the Petit Ballon there was a whole Pinot fan club, where his family was, a goodbye party, almost.

“I was trying to find my family," he explained. "I spotted some familiar faces, but there was so many people, I couldn’t see everyone. I was lucky enough to go through leading the race.” 

Asked whether that was deliberate, he responded: “No that wasn’t necessarily the plan. It was just that, if I wanted to win the race, I had to do that.”

His team boss, Marc Madiot, had many more eloquent things to say about Pinot, and about why he is so popular, on this “very special day”.  

“You can’t trick the fans,” he said. “The people who are the roadside, who wait for hours to watch the riders come past, this is what they come to see. They come to see guys who give everything they’ve got, and they come to feel the suffering, but also the character and charm.”

Sadly, he did not manage to stop and greet Pinot’s adoring public. “We stopped but I wasn’t able to get out of the car,” Madiot said. “It would’ve been a bit difficult and Christian Prudhomme would have honked his horn at us if we hung around for too long.”

As for Pinot, his great charge, one who has entertained and been loved over the past 13 years of his career, one last doomed attack adds to, rather than takes from his appeal. He might have won many races, but he will be remembered for the exhausted near-misses, the dare we say failures, as much as the successes. 

“Thibaut Pinot is a unique rider," Madiot explained, barely drawing a breath over the next paragraph. "He’s a unique rider because, when you look at his palmarès, it’s a few lines on a sheet of paper. But each line has a meaning, a story. Why is there so much emotion today? Well, quite simply because I think he’s an authentic rider. He lays himself bare, he shows everyone what he’s about. 

"Sometimes I’ve even called him up on it and said, ‘You’re giving too much of yourself.’ But actually, it’s what has created his strength and his popularity with the fans. Thibaut never pretends. When you’re with him every day in the team, it’s not always easy, because you feel his torment and difficulty along with him. But conversely when he goes on the hunt for success, he carries you in his arms. 

"It’s really, really, really unique. When people make rankings of the best riders in history, Pinot won’t be there. But he’ll be remembered as one of the most real riders.”

Thibaut Pinot retiring leaves a hole in the sport, a vacuum where a rider with emotions once was. As sad as that is, remember it was his decision to step away now, to go and be happier with his goats. A unique rider leaves.

French sprinter Arnaud Démare was left devastated after being snubbed by Groupama-FDJ for the team’s Tour de France squad for the second year in a row, and confirmed he will leave the team at the end of the season.

In an interview with L’Equipe at the Tour de Suisse, Démare voiced frustration at missing out and said he had been made aware of his omission by general manager Marc Madiot last week. He also confirmed that he would be leaving Groupama-FDJ at the end of the season after being deemed surplus to requirements by Madiot.

"I'm angry and disheartened because I worked for this, and I made concessions this winter knowing that I would only have one teammate with me for the sprints," Démare said.

"Normally, when they tell me I'm not doing the Tour, it's in December, and you don't speak of preparation. This time, I was on the Tour," he added. "My close ones had booked holidays around the Tour, my wife had reserved hotel rooms to come on the rest days. I don't know what I'm going to do [instead]. I don't know. I'll look at the results but I'm going to feel sick watching stages finish in sprints."

Thibaut Pinot has been given a place in the team’s lineup in support of their general classification hope David Gaudu, although Démare has been forced to sit out once more. 

According to reports, Démare had been initially pencilled in as a possibility for Tour selection over the winter. However, that idea then created a stir within the team with Gaudu revealing that he was against it.

In an online chat room conversation - which was leaked in January - Gaudu explained that he and the sprinter did not see eye to eye.

“He knows I don’t want him at the Tour,” Gaudu wrote. “I’ve already told him.”

Gaudu would eventually issue an apology for his comments.

The 31-year-old sprinter has previously made five appearances at the French Grand Tour, winning two stages in the process. He explained to L’Equipe that he had also been informed he would not be retained at the end of the year by Madiot at a race earlier in the season.

"This was the second hard blow," Démare said. "At the Boucles de la Mayenne, [Madiot] announced that it was the end with the Groupama. Not in so many words, but I understood that it was all over. He told me: 'We can't keep you.' And that's it."
 

Démare has spent his entire career with Groupama and admitted he had been left stunned by the news from Madiot.

"I wanted to have the choice [to continue]. It was perhaps already a message last year when they took apart my lead-out train,” he added. “I could feel there was less enthusiasm for sprinting but I thought that they'd give me the choice, that I mattered in their eyes.

"I was part of the foundation of the team. We did exceptional things together," he said. "We made sporting memories and life memories. It is my life. To sweep away 12 years like that..."

In an announcement earlier this week confirming the first five riders of the team's Tour selection, Madiot said that FDJ will travel to the start in Bilbao with Gaudu set to lead the team’s general classification charge. Meanwhile Pinot will make his tenth and final Tour appearance before retirement with the goal of targeting stage wins on the mountainous route.

Madiot also confirmed that Valentin Madouas, Kevin Geniets and Stefan Küng will all travel, with the remaining three riders to be announced closer to the Grand Départ.

He explained that leaving Démare out hadn’t been a straightforward decision.

“It was a difficult selection to make, especially the decision not to select Arnaud Démare. I can understand his disappointment," Madiot said. "I have affinities with the riders, but the interests of the team have to come first. It's a sporting choice. I'm here to decide which team I think is the most competitive. There are strengths and weaknesses. I take responsibility for those choices."

Thibaut Pinot's personalised Lapierre Xelius SL3 from last year's Vuelta a España is one of 15 objects open for bids online auctioneers Catawiki.

The unique model, which contains the locations of the retiring Frenchman's most iconic wins on the top tube, has been put up for auction by his Groupama-FDJ team.

Bidding currently stands at €1,850, although the Dura-Ace equipped bike is expected to reach a much higher figure; the expert estimate assigned to the bike, is anywhere between €12,500 to €20,000. The new owner can collect the bike from Paris, and have their new bike adjusted by a team mechanic, but the buyer could also just leave it to Pinot's specifications.

The bike is just one of the items for sale. Tobias Ludvigsson's Lapierre from last year is also for sale, as is race-worn clothing from Pinot, Stefan Küng, David Gaudu and Arnaud Démare.

Bidders can also aim for a bottle of Prosecco won by Démare at the 2020 Giro d'Italia, one of Démare's signed ciclamino jerseys celebrating his record for wins by a Frenchman at the race, and a pink bottle produced for Attila Valter during his time in pink at the 2021 Giro.

Two leaders jerseys worn by Australian time trialist Bradley McGee at the Giro in 2004 and the Vuelta in 2005 are also up for sale.

It is not the end of FDJ's auctions, with three more coming in 2023 for "objects specifically celebrating the team's most legendary races including Paris-Roubaix, the Giro and the Tour de France". In a later auction, people can also bid on what could be the experience of a lifetime: "To spend a day with Groupama-FDJ team manager Marc Madiot during a live Tour de France stage as he interacts with the team, gaining intimate behind the scenes access to the race."

On 15 April, this coming Saturday, fans can visit the House of Catawiki, the platform's first event in Paris at 3537, in the Marais.

"We are very happy to start this new experience with Catawiki," Madiot said. "Through the objects we propose, we want to share with cycling lovers moments of our team's life, memories that are dear to our hearts. The closeness and the attachment with the followers, with those who accompany and support us every day, at home or on the side of the road, is what has been driving us for 27 years. 

"We hope that the lots offered at this sale, but also in all those to come, will please our supporters and allow them to take home a little of the soul of our team. Cycling is a popular sport, our victories, our defeats, our emotions are the heritage of passionate people, and we are proud today to be able to share it."

"I had some great moments, some great climbs on this bike in 2022, in the Tour de l'Ain and in the Vuelta," Pinot said of his former steed. "It will now have a second life. I like the idea that a bike or a kit that accompanied me during a season or a race can now make cycling enthusiasts happy."

The first auction runs from today until the 23rd April at 7pm.

“With Thibaut Pinot, it was something else,” said Marc Madiot at the end of a long interview published on Groupama-FDJ's website yesterday. The Frenchman's team manager gets it. He always has. 

“For many people, Thibaut represents romantic cycling,” Madiot said. “He is seen as someone who is fragile, who has anxieties, fears, but when you scratch deep enough, he is actually one of the riders who goes the furthest into suffering. He hangs on.”

Now, at 32 years old, the Frenchman has decided to let go. At the end of this season, Pinot will turn his final pedal strokes as a professional cyclist. “I’m ready for real life,” he told L’Équipe yesterday, looking forward to a new chapter at home, at peace in nature. 

Over the last 12 years, Pinot has harnessed public emotion like no other rider. We’ve felt heartache in his despair and basked in the joy of his success. When misfortune has struck, we’ve shared his sorrow, safe in the hope that, one day soon, his smile will return.  

Last year’s Tour of the Alps provided a microcosm of what it’s like to follow Pinot’s career. Having gone almost three years without a win, the Frenchman broke free on stage four of the race and tore alone towards the day’s summit finish in Austria. 

His attack was filled with confidence and belief. With a kilometre to go, however, it became clear he wasn’t going to make it. As the road stretched out beneath his tyres, so too did the gap to Astana Qazaqstan’s Miguel Ángel López, who rode clear to victory.

Motionless, Pinot sat with his back to a metal barrier after the stage. “I know you’re disappointed,” a reporter told him frankly, “but there were loads of people watching on TV who took great pleasure in seeing you race for victory on today’s mountain stage.”

The Groupama-FDJ rider stared into the distance in silence. He then turned away from the press microphones, before returning with his bottom lip quivering. “It’s such a pain,” he replied, his eyes welling up. “It’s a pain because that would have done me good. In the last 10km I was thinking about the past few years.

“I could’ve turned this shitty page and moved on to something else.”

Pinot’s last victory before that had been, arguably, his finest. I was there. It was July 2019 and the Tour de France was gearing up for a stage finish atop the mythic Tourmalet. 

I’d ridden to 500m shy of the summit, where the gendarmes stopped me and asked me to climb off. There I waited, laughing along with a group of rowdy French men, who sloshed pastis and chanted for Pinot - then seventh in the GC - for two hours straight. 

When their hero eventually arrived, the noise became deafening. We couldn’t see the finish line from where we were stood, but voices soon passed the winner’s name down the mountain. The rowdy group broke into a frenzy. Pinot had done it. 

The chanting quickly reached its crescendo. As the team cars filed through one by one, they swarmed the vehicles and slapped the windscreens along to the beat. To this day, it's the most love I've ever seen for a single rider at a bike race. 

History reminds us, of course, that the Groupama-FDJ rider would go on to step off his bike days later in what has now become one of the lasting images of his career. Victim of a muscle tear, he climbed into his team car on stage 19, crying inconsolably, unable to continue.

I hope my Tourmalet companions celebrated accordingly when Pinot returned to winning ways at the Tour of the Alps last year. 

In lashing rain, the Frenchman again broke away, determined to rid himself of the pain from the day before. This time, he shook off his Astana marker, a role now played by David de la Cruz, and kicked away on the final bend to cross the line first. “Finally,” he said in his post-race interview, “liberation.” 

In the space of 24 hours, Pinot went from one of his lowest points, to one of his highest - the inverse of what had happened at the Tour three years prior. Through it all, his fans remained by his side.   

The Frenchman, no doubt, will have his eye on more glory this season, his last one as a racing cyclist. He’s down to ride the Giro d’Italia, but many hope he’ll strap in for one final lap of France in July. 

It'll be emotional, it always is with Pinot, but it's a chance to celebrate a rider who has long defied the steely attitude at the top of elite sport.  

“This is not a farewell tour,” Madiot said of his talisman, before admitting there will be a “little tear in the eye” when he finishes his final race, Il Lombardia. 

Madiot, I'd wager, won't be the only one crying.

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) rolled back the years with a strong climbing performance that saw him clinch stage seven of the Tour de Suisse.

The Frenchman, who was in the day's early breakaway, left Ion Izagirre behind on the climb to the line in Malbun, Liechtenstein, eventually winning by 25 seconds from Óscar Rodríguez (Movistar).

Alexey Lutsenko, another rider who featured in the day's early break, came across the line in third.

The Groupama-FDJ rider earned his second win of the season, after a similar style stage win at the Tour of the Alps in April.

In the battle for the yellow jersey, Sergio Higuita (BORA-hansgrohe) attacked the GC group with 2km to go and finished 11 seconds ahead of Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).

The Colombian holds the overall lead over Thomas by two seconds, however, the Welshman will be favourite going into the final day's individual time-trial.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The final road stage of this year’s Tour de Suisse saw a coronavirus-stricken peloton of just 84 riders take to the start line in Ambri.

Three more riders had become victims of the coronavirus outbreak at the race overnight, as Marco Haller (BORA-hansgrohe), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ) and Sander Armée (Cofidis) did not start the penultimate stage.

For the riders that did start, a 194.6km route stood between them and the summit finish in Malbun, Liechtenstein, with 3,811m of climbing set to make it a very challenging stage for the GC teams to control.

A high-speed downhill start to the day made it tricky for a break to form. A group finally escaped as the foot of the day’s first climb, the Lukmanierpass, came into sight. 

The first-category test, averaging 5% for 29.2km, allowed for almost a quarter of the bunch to forge a gap. 

A 19-man group got away, including: Clément Champoussin, Clément Berthet, Nicolas Prodhomme (AG2R Citroën), Alexey Lutsenko, Gianni Moscon (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Michael Matthews, Jack Bauer (Team BikeExchange-Jayco), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Thibaut Pinot, Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Soudal), Nelson Oliveira, Óscar Rodríguez (Movistar Team), Fausto Masnada, Ilan Van Wilder (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team), Gavin Mannion (Human Powered Health), Matheiu Burgaudeau, Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies), and Yannis Voisard (Switzerland).

With 142km to go, Lukas Rüegg (Switzerland) stepped off the bike, making him the 70th abandonment in the eight-day race.

As the first-category climb was tackled, the large break began to split, with Bauer, Moscon, Askey, Ourselin and Voisard dropped by the stronger climbers in the lead group.

The gap back to the peloton fluctuated between four and seven minutes as the riders summited the Lukmanierpass.

Clément Berthet was first over the top of the first-category climb as Ineos Grenadiers and Israel-Premier Tech worked together to prevent the time-gap getting out of hand with 120km still remaining in the day.

By the time the third-category climb of Flims, 6.5km at 5.8%, was dealt with at 66km to go, the break had an advantage of just above four minutes.

Michael Matthews comfortably extended his lead in the points classification at the intermediate sprint in Domat/Ems with 50km left of the stage.

The gap to the break steadily fell, as the race reached the penultimate climb of the day, St. Luzisteig, with 22km to go.

As the lead group took on the 2.5km test that averaged 7.6%, they held an advantage of three and a half minutes.

Perhaps keen to keep himself healthy for the Tour de France, Luke Rowe swiftly stepped into the team car after finishing his turn on the front with 20km left.

With 13km to go, the highest category climb to the finish line in Malbun came into view as the breakaway began to be whittled down.

The 12.6km climb had an average gradient of 8.7%, however ramps of 10% throughout, and a 13.2% kicker inside the flamme rouge, made it a gruelling test for the riders. 

Lutsenko, Van Wilder and Izagirre managed to create a small gap with 11km to go.

Izagirre then attacked again as Pinot attempted to bridge across to the leaders.

Meanwhile, the bunch had been whittled down by the testing gradients too.

Max Schachmann (BORA-hansgrohe) came to the fore of the GC group to set a testing pace for his teammate Higuita.

It was now a stage comprised of two races as the Spaniard had built up a gap of over 30 seconds with 5km to go as Lutsenko and Pinot attempted to hunt him down, with the GC contenders still three minutes in arrears.

However, Izagirre appeared to hit the wall on the leg-sapping gradients of final kilometres up to the mountaintop finish line.

His gap rapidly fell to Pinot, the strongest of the chasing pack behind him.

Pinot caught the former Spanish champion with 2.5km remaining, attacking out of his saddle to prevent the Cofidis rider from even holding onto his wheel.

The Groupama-FDJ rider continued his effort right up to the line, finishing 25 seconds ahead of Movistar’s Óscar Rodríguez to secure his second victory of the year.

Meanwhile, inside the final 2km for the GC contenders and Daní Martinez (Ineos Grenadiers) had put most of the group to the sword with a huge pull at the front.

However, just as the Colombian rider finished his turn, his countryman Higuita attacked and neither Jakob Fuglsang (Israel-Premier Tech) nor Geraint Thomas could respond.

Thomas finally left Fuglsang behind with 500m to go, yet Higuita still crossed the line with enough of an advantage to secure the yellow jersey.

The BORA-hansgrohe rider heads into the final day’s time-trial with a slender advantage that he’ll do well to hold onto against an accomplished time-trialist in Thomas.

RESULTS

TOUR DE SUISSE, STAGE SEVEN: AMBRI TO MALBUN (194.6KM)

1. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, in 5-06-39
2. Óscar Rodríguez (Spa) Movistar, at 25 seconds
3. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana Qazaqstan Team, at 38s
4. Sergio Higuita (Col) BORA-Hansgrohe, at 1-19
5. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1-30
6. Nicolas Prodhomme (Fra) AG2R Citroën Team, at 1-40
7. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Israel-Premier Tech, at 1-48
8. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, at 1-59
9. Sébastien Reichenbach (Swi) Groupama-FDJ, at 2-09
10. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, at 2-19

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE SEVEN

1. Sergio Higuita (Col) BORA-hansgrohe, in 32-38-38
2. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers, at 2 seconds
3. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Israel-Premier Tech, at 19s
4. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost, at 1-16
5. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux, at 1-37
6. Sébastien Reichenbach (Swi) Groupama-FDJ, at 2-09
7. Stefan Küng (Sui) Groupama FDJ, at 2-19
8. Bob Jungels (Lux) AG2R Citroën Team, at 2-31
9. Felix Großschartner (Aut) BORA-hansgrohe, at 2-47
10. Andreas Leknessund (Nor) Team DSM, at 2-59

French riders Thibaut Pinot and Guillaume Martin have both questioned Rafael Nadal for his use of cortisone injections at the French Open, stating the amount of anaesthetic the tennis player needed is simply prohibited in cycling. 

Rafa Nadal won the French Open for the 14th time at Roland Garros on Sunday, but afterwards he stated: "I played without feeling in my foot. I played with an injection in the nerve, and the foot was asleep, that's why I was able to play."

The Spaniard received several cortisone injections during the tournament to ensure he kept a lingering foot injury as pain-free as possible. Nadal has suffered from Mueller-Weiss syndrome in his left foot for the past 15 years, a rare degenerative condition affecting the bones in his foot. 

When asked how many injections he needed to get through the two-week tournament, Nadal answered coyly.

"It's better that you don't know," he said.

Thibaut Pinot didn't seem too impressed by Nadal's admission, though, commenting: "Today's heroes..." on Twitter. The Groupama-FDJ rider has suffered with lingering back issues due to an injury he sustained at the 2020 Tour de France, and, when French tennis player Jonathan Eysseric replied to Pinot arguing his tweet was one of "sadness", Pinot elaborated. 

“Why?" Pinot replied. "Because I have my convictions, a way of seeing sport and sports performance differently than yours, maybe? My tweet (three words) which is causing so much reaction fell on Nadal but it could have been a golfer, horse rider, handballer, basketball player, fencer, rugby player, weightlifter, skier, footballer, surfer, cyclist, etc…

“In no case his career or his talent are called into question here. We see too many athletes using this kind of practice in recent weeks. I almost lost two of surely the most beautiful years of my career to take care of my back, it was difficult but I am proud of it today.

“The methods [used by Nadal] are simply prohibited in my sport, which is unfortunately so decried. Here is a little more precision on the sadness of my tweet.”

Pinot's compatriot, Guillaume Martin, also questioned the ethics behind Nadal receiving multiple cortisone injections. Speaking to L'Equipe, Martin suggests the lengths Nadal has gone to to keep playing simply wouldn't be possible in cycling. 

"What Nadal has done would be impossible in cycling," Martin said. “And I think that's normal. If someone is sick or injured, they don't compete - that seems like common sense to me. First and foremost for the health of the athletes. I'm not sure the long-term injections will be good for Nadal's foot.

“In addition, drugs and certainly injections not only have a curative effect, but they can certainly also have an effect on performance or can be used to improve performance. I think that's borderline. 

"If a rider did the same - it's forbidden, but suppose it wasn't - everyone would accuse him of doping, while they praise Nadal precisely because he can suffer so much pain. The winner in the race, and especially that of the Tour, is systematically accused of doping, even if there is no reason for it at all.”

With apologies to David De La Cruz, there was only one winner the crowd wanted to see win in Lienz on Friday. Twenty-four hours after an emotional second place, Thibaut Pinot finally got the victory that he had been working so hard for, and radiated pure ecstasy as he crossed the finish line.

To show you how popular the Frenchman is, yesterday after he had collapsed after just falling short of the win, Geoffrey Bouchard of Ag2r Citroën approached the media scrum surround Pinot, and looked full of joy after he assumed his countryman had got the victory. After being told that it was not true, Bouchard's face fell. Everyone's face seemed to fall.

On stage five of the Tour of the Alps, by contrast, everyone was beaming (apart from De La Cruz and Astana). The Groupama-FDJ staff were over the moon to witness the return of their biggest star, the big show himself.

Pinot admitted post-race that he never thought he would get back here, back to his winning ways. He has promised so much during his career, and delivered too, but it looked like the difficulties he has had to endure had got the better of him.

Since a crash at the 2020 Tour de France, the Groupama rider has had a long journey back to the top, and Friday marked 1,007 days since his last victory, on the Tourmalet at the 2019 Tour.

"This is a very important win in my career," he said. "It’s going to be an unforgettable day, because I’ve worked so hard. I’ve missed it for so long, but the Tour of the Alps is my favourite race. I had a really difficult period, so this is really rewarding. It was a crazy day today."

Michael Storer, his Australian team-mate, secured second on general classification with his ride on Friday. Despite only being on the team this year, he knows how momentous a win this is for Pinot, Groupama, and French cycling.

"It means everything," he said. "Just joining the team I also understood how important this is to Thibaut. He has had a really, really hard time the past two years. I think he made a quote yesterday that he really wanted to put the past behind him, and I think Thibaut's back."

Pinot's second place on stage four actually galvanised him into action, he explained to the media. It proved to him that he had the strength, and the confidence, to try once again.

"Yesterday I was very disappointed, because I was so close to winning after so long," he said. "I always thought I would never get there. The second place made me aware that I could actually win. Today I saw the route, I saw the rain, the cold weather, and I thought to myself that I would breakaway as soon as possible. That second place yesterday made me aware that I still had some potential."

His emotions were very clear on Thursday, and they were again on Friday. Unlike others who seem almost robotic, or calm no matter what the result, Pinot actually shows how he feels, something he is aware of.

"I’m a rider who conveys both good and bad emotions," he said. "Sometimes I let people down. I try to show the way I am, being more natural. Perhaps people love the way I ride and the way I am, that’s me."

Despite winning for the first time in almost three years, and doing so in such an impressive manner - attacking early, staying in the break, building the lead, escaping with De La Cruz, and then sprinting to the win - Pinot still feels he has more to give.

He will target the Tour de France in July, and therefore has more time to build. Perhaps he truly can delight the French public once more, as he makes his comeback.

"I think there are still more things I can do," he said. "Physically I was stronger today than I was yesterday, and I think if I had the condition I had today yesterday, I would have won. Today was a glory day, I raced at a very high level. I’m sure there are still some things to fine tune to beat the best, but today was a really great day."

Whether he can still improve or not, as Storer said, Pinot is back. 

There is only ever one winner in cycling. Rarely has it felt like more of a shame than on stage four of the Tour of the Alps, when Thibaut Pinot was caught within the final kilometre and consigned to second place.

The Frenchman has had to endure an enormous amount of trials and tribulations during his career, with injury keeping him from fulfilling his undeniable potential in the last few years.

Since a crash at the 2020 Tour de France, the Groupama-FDJ rider has been working to come back to his top level. While Thursday's result was his first second place since the 2020 Critérium du Dauphiné, it clearly was not enough.

Collapsing to the floor soon after the finish line, Pinot looked like a man who had given it all, and yet that was not enough to hold off Miguel Ángel López, who powered past him with about 900m to go.

"It pisses me off…" an emotional Pinot began, before pausing to regain his composure. "It pisses me off because it would have been good for me after the last two years I’ve been through…"

He last won a race at the 2019 Tour, when he looked like he could be in with a chance of victory, the Tour victory by a Frenchman that France has been waiting since 1985 for. 

His chance on Thursday came after he infiltrated the day's breakaway, which moved clear with just 80km to go. Pinot made his decisive move with 10km to go, on the lower slopes up to Kals Am Grossglockner, where the stage finished. 

While it looked for a time like he might hold out to the finish, the peloton was not far behind, with López lurking within it.

Pinot has suffered from back pain since the 2020 Tour, and last year was the first since 2012 in which he did not race a Grand Tour. However, he is scheduled to take part in this year's Grande Boucle, and so is looking to be back to his best for them.

"At my normal level, nobody would have caught up with me there," the 31-year-old explained after the stage. "That's what's frustrating. I wish it [fortune] would smile on me one day. I’ll have to be patient."

Perhaps he needs to take inspiration from the Earl of Kent in Shakespeare's King Lear, who asks fortune to "smile once more; turn thy wheel". There are few riders that could do with a change in fortune as much as Pinot.

He has won 31 races across his career, something that anyone that looks at his bike can't avoid - the titles are listed on his top tube.

However, Pinot has finished second on stages and races 35 times overall, proving that with a bit more luck, he could have had a much longer palmarés.

He knows, that although he is only 31, there will never be too many more opportunities, even if he does return to his best.

"It was another good chance to win and there aren’t many as a pro," the Frenchman said in Kals Am Grossglockner. "We’ll see, we’ll see tomorrow and in the coming weeks. It would have done me good to win today.

"I could have turned that s***ty page and moved on to something else."

What was clear was that Pinot had given it all on Thursday. It is just that his all simply remains not enough.

Thibaut Pinot will return to the Tour de France for the first time since 2020 this year, with sprinter Arnaud Démare heading to the Giro d'Italia instead.

Groupama-FDJ announced their leaders for the Tour and Giro at a team presentation on Wednesday, where much of the Tour squad was also revealed.

Alongside Pinot, who has won three stages at the Tour and finished third in 2014, will be David Gaudu, Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas, and new signing Michael Storer.

The Frenchman crashed heavily in the first week of the 2022 race, which aggravated a back injury which has plagued him since. He did not compete in any of the grand tours last year, riding just 38 race days.

In 2019, he looked set to be a strong contender for the overall at the race before he innocuously injured his knee; he was 1:50 behind race leader Julian Alaphilippe with a stage win already in his pocket when he abandoned stage 19. Pinot hopes to be back to his best for this year's race, which begins in Copenhagen on 1 July.

“I want to regain my level and win races," he said. "I want to become the rider again before my fall on the Tour 2020. The Tour de France will be the highlight of my season with this common goal: a podium on the Champs-Élysées."

>>> 'I rode 17 stages of last year's Tour de France with a broken back - I'm not a person who gives up': a grateful Simon Clarke signs for Israel-Premier Tech

Pinot will be joined by Gaudu, who finished 11th at the 2021 Tour. The pair will vie for leadership along with Storer, the Australian who joined from DSM over the winter.

Team boss Marc Madiot said: "For the Tour de France, we’re going to go with extremely high ambitions. We want to fight for the podium...

"We’re six months away from the Tour, and it will be the evolution of the riders’ physical condition, along with the circumstances of the race, that will influence things. I can’t say right now who the main leader will be."

On Storer, the Frenchman said: "We’ll see how the race unfolds but, from what we saw of him in the mountains, notably at the Vuelta, he can be taken into consideration."

The Australian won two stages of the Vuelta a España last year and the mountains classification. 

"In the first place, the squad is built around David and Thibaut," Madiot continued. "But when you look at the general classification in recent years, ok, Pogačar has won, but when you look at some of the guys below him, how many would you have put on the podium or in the top-five six months beforehand?"

Gaudu has ambitions for finishing higher up the GC this year, with the 25-year old expressing a desire to finish on the podium too.

"I want to transform the top ten into top five, the top five into podiums, and the podiums into victories," he said. "The Tour de France will be the major goal of my season, I’m going with the team to aim for the podium in the general classification."

At the Giro, Démare will aim for sprint victories, which he won four of in 2020 along with the points jersey. He will be joined by Attila Valter, who is aiming to impress again after spending time in the pink jersey last year. The race begins in Budapest, and the Hungarian riders has spoken of his desire to impress on home roads.

Thibaut Pinot is expected to be present on the start line of the Tour de France 2022, his Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot has said.

The Frenchman sat out the 2021 Tour, not racing a Grand Tour in a season for the first time since his debut three-week stage race in 2012, as he continued to recover from injury.

While that back pain is still bothering the 31-year-old, a return to his home Grand Tour in 2022, the route of which was revealed last week, is the plan for Pinot next year.

“If everything goes well, he will start,” Madiot told RMC, yet remains wary of piling pressure and expectation on the shoulders of his rider.

>>> 'I hope he doesn't think I'm some fanatic weirdo': Man fulfils promise to get Mark Cavendish tattoo if he won another race

“But first we have to finish this season and go through the course in detail. The last few days he still had some back pain, so we'll see. We have to be wary of first impressions and euphoria around the announcement, because in cycling you can't look too far ahead."

While Pinot crashed on a chaotic opening day of the 2020 Tour, ruining his chances of competing for the yellow jersey from the off, his 2019 Tour campaign was looking promising, entering the final few stages only a few seconds off the other GC contenders before injury put paid to his chances.

“I'm a bit divided about that stage,” Marc Madiot says of the cobbled stage included in the 2022 route, which presents a particular hazard to the peloton. “Some teams ride to win that stage, some not to lose it. This results in little freedom of movement. It looks good on paper, but once you're on the floor…”

A similarly chaotic opening week should present itself at the 2022 Tour, but there are enough mountains where Pinot will hope to make the difference, despite the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič exploding onto the Tour scene since the last time Pinot was competitive in his home race.

Thibaut Pinot looks to be heading back into racing on good form after setting some rapid times on his recent training rides posted to Strava.

Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) took a break from racing after the Tour of the Alps, where he went in a couple of breaks and took fifth overall in the mountain standings. He has been struggling with back issues but also struggling mentally to go for races.

Speaking in a piece by L'Equipe, Pinot said: "I’m eager to pin a race number on again,

"The legs are pretty good, I think. Based on the quality of my training and the numbers I’m producing, I feel that things are going well."

>>> Mikel Landa admits he was lacking confidence heading into first mountain finish at Vuelta a España

Pinot recently went out on a training ride that included the climb of the Ballon d'Alsace Short segment where he set the joint fastest time on the 6.7km climb that averaged out at 5.8 per cent gradient and a maximum of 10 per cent.

Unfortunately, Pinot did not post his power on his ride but he still set a time up the climb of 16-42, averaging 24.3kph over the variations of gradients.

The ride was done on the morning of Wednesday, August 11 over 187.78km and took the Frenchman 6-01-42 to finish, with 3,419 metres of elevation done over the ride as he continued his big build-up back to racing again.

He also managed a few other top-10 results on various other segments on his ride showing he was keeping a strong pace throughout the day.

Pinot has started his next block of smaller French races, so he can focus on getting back to racing without the pressure, starting with the hilly Tour de Limousin.

This is usually a very tough and well fought race, making it an ideal starting point for the French star. 

"I’ve missed fighting for victory, and knowing why you train so hard," he said. 

The 2021 Vuelta a España came too early for Thibaut Pinot, as he returns to racing following an injury lay-off since April, but says he's never been so impatient to return to the road.

The Frenchman has a busy couple of months as he makes up for lost time this season, getting going again on August 17 at the Tour du Limousin, a series of French races following that before building up in Italy to Il Lombardia.

“Everything is in order to have a good race. However, I remain cautious, the Limousin is a good test to get some answers," Thibaut Pinot said. "It was a risk to go to the Vuelta a España, it's too early for that. It makes sense for me to start again in a good stage race in France. It is a course that can help me on my way.”

“Exactly what I need," is Pinot's estimation of the Tour du Limousin, undulating stages providing him with the chance to test himself. "I've looked at the course and know it's going to be tough. We have a great squad, possibly one of the best squads in this edition. Everything I need is there: there is a lot of height difference, it goes up and down all the time. The second leg seems to be the most difficult and the weather will also play an important role. I am very motivated, it has been a long time since I was so impatient to race.”

>>> ‘I know a lot of riders paying to be in teams’: Willie Smit uncensored in underworld tales of pro peloton

After a long time off and not feeling himself, his desire to persist through the 2020 Tour de France with injury prolonged his problems, and has only resumed heavy training loads since the start of July.

“The fact that it is in France will do me good. Since July 1 I have been training seriously again. The injury period was long, and being patient is not one of my best qualities. I want to start again and make it a good end to the season. I didn't think I'd be back so soon so this is a bonus for me. I feel like I have rediscovered the joy of cycling. I feel liberated."

Thibaut Pinot is desperate to get back to racing as he readies himself for a series of French races that should ease him back into the swing of things during a season during which the Frenchman has been mostly absent.

Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot says Pinot's morale is high and he is training well as his rider prepares for his first race in four months at the Tour du Limousin, part of his continued rehabilitation from back problems that have dogged his past year.

"How is Pinot? Things are going very well, morale is high, training is going pretty well and he just wants to race," Madiot told Cyclism'Actu. "This is the reason why he follows the Tour Poitou-Charentes after Limousin, even if it is not really his favourite terrain. But he wants to ride so he will do a series of races."

Madiot has admitted he should have removed 31-year-old from racing sooner than he did after his painful crash on stage one of the 2020 Tour de France, Pinot perservering through to Paris before lining up for the Vuelta a España for a few days, but now the Frenchman is now keen to race again as he aims towards another comeback in 2022.

>>> João Almeida joins UAE Team Emirates on long-term contract

"Let him get back on the road, get a taste for racing again, but I have no doubts about that. I have no doubts either that he obtains interesting results in the next few weeks," Madiot said, confidently.

While Pinot will not race the 2021 Vuelta, the first time in 10 seasons he hasn't ridden a Grand Tour, his favoured Il Lombardia, which he won in 2018, will also come too soon.

"For the moment we are not there. We think first of the recovery, and then it will always be to set results, objectives to be obtained in the more or less long term," Madiot explained. "But for now we are at the start of the school year."

Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot has admitted that he should have stopped Thibaut Pinot from racing earlier last year after crashing on the opening stage of the Tour de France.

Pinot has been suffering from back problems that have seen him abandon the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in recent years after looking very strong. His crash at last year's Tour added to the issues too.

Madiot told Ouest-France: "You know, what happened to him, if it had happened in any race other than the Tour de France, we wouldn't be in the situation we are today… He fell on the first stage of the Tour in Nice, in another event we would have stopped it the same day and we would not have put ourselves in the situation we are in today."

>>> Egan Bernal set to travel back to Colombia after recovering from Covid-19

Pinot went on in the race, losing time as he searched for a stage win from the breakaway before eventually abandoning.

"We should have stopped him earlier. But we did not have the elements of analysis at that time," Madiot continued. "We had done some tests on the first day of rest, but we couldn't identify what was really going on. 

"We had seen bruises, but that's it. If we had been able to investigate further, we would have told him to stop at the first stage of the Tour. But that's how it is, now let's try to restart and rebuild around the future."

Pinot, who has been seen as France's big hope to win the Tour de France, was set to ride at the Giro d'Italia this season with the team focusing on younger French climber David Gaudu along with French champion and sprinter Arnaud Démare for the Tour de France, but Pinot pulled out of the Giro after the Tour of the Alps where he struggled.

"He paid the consequences for many months. We shouldn't have let him put himself in that state," said Madiot. "It has often been said that Pinot had no mind, that he lacked this, that… But I take my hat off to him. He put himself in a state in which few people know how to put himself, on this Tour 2020. He hurt himself very badly, believe me."

Pinot isn't the only big general classification name to have issues with his back. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) has also struggled with a recurring issue. The Colombian also abandoned the Tour with back problems but came back in 2021 to win the Giro d'Italia.

Madiot says that they are giving Pinot time to recover before they look at next seasons objective, whether that be the Tour, Giro of the Vuelta a España.

Thibaut Pinot has announced he will not ride the 2021 Giro d'Italia as his back problems persist, saying he would just "unnecessarily suffer" for three weeks in Italy.

The Frenchman had opted for the Italian Grand Tour rather than his home one, refocusing after a couple of disappointing years at the Tour, suffering through the 2021 edition after crashing on stage one.

Having just completed the Tour of the Alps, a warm-up for next month's Giro, Pinot says he felt good at the start of each stage before the pain increased as the kilometres ticked by.

"I can’t hide from myself: I’m not in the medical condition to shine in the Giro. I would unnecessarily suffer and I would not be able to help the team," Pinot said.

>>> Remco Evenepoel won’t receive Covid-19 vaccination before Giro d’Italia in case of side effects

"It’s not even a question of shape, but the pain in my back prevents me from performing well. It’s hard to explain. At the beginning of a stage it works, I even managed to get into the breakaway on the last day of this Tour of the Alps. Unfortunately, the more the kilometers go by, the more the pain increases and at some point, I am too sore to force myself. Tuesday was a very bad day for me."

Pinot will now re-focus once again on recovery, resuming the treatment he has been receiving for the past eight months, disappointed he won't be on the start line for his first Giro since 2018.

"It was mentally hard, I didn’t expect to be so far [away from the top] in the classifications. Giving up crossed my mind but I am a competitor, I wanted to go to the end of the test, I needed to, in order not to have any regrets. Every day I gave everything.

"Not racing in the Giro d’Italia is heartbreaking, we did everything to be there! We really did our utmost so that I could ride at my best. I’m disappointed but I’m focused on the next step. I am only thinking about healing myself, leaving these back problems behind me, competing at my usual level and fighting with the best," Pinot concluded.

"In the recent weeks, we have seen a gradual improvement in Thibaut’s training. We knew that the Tour of the Alps would give us some answers," added team physician Jacky Maillot. "Unfortunately, the conclusions are clear: his sacroiliac inflammation, following his crash at the last Tour de France, still prevents him from riding at very high intensity despite all the treatments he received. Further investigations with new specialists in this field are scheduled for next week."

Thibaut Pinot, Simon Yates and Chris Froome are among the headlines names at this year's Tour of the Alps.

Returning to the calendar after the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the peloton will race over the mountains of northern Italy and southern Austria, as some prepare for the upcoming Giro d'Italia.

13,000 metres of climbing feature across the five days of racing, three stages including category one climbs along its route.

Ineos Grenadiers' Pavel Sivakov is present to defend his title, having won in 2019 ahead of team-mate Tao Geoghegan Hart.

The British rider isn't present at this year's race, not defending his maglia rosa in May, instead set to race his debut Tour de France in July, but another Brit in the shape of Hugh Carthy will be taking the start line at the Tour of Alps (prior to the Italian Grand Tour) alongside EF - Nippo team-mates Lachlan Morton and Tejay Van Garderen.

>>> ‘Closest ever photo finish?’ – Cycling world reacts to Tom Pidcock and Wout van Aert’s thrilling Amstel Gold Race sprint 

Ineos' line-up also includes Dani Martínez and Iván Sosa, while fellow Colombian Nairo Quintana leads Arkéa-Samsic's delegation.

Chris Froome will be working for Israel Start-Up Nation team-mate Dan Martin, as the former Tour de France champion looks to continue riding himself back into form and the Irishman prepares for the Giro.

The other riders using the race as homework ahead of the Giro include 2020 runner-up Jai Hindley, accompanied by new team-mate Romain Bardet, who will be making his debut at the Italian Grand Tour.

Simon Yates (BikeExchange) and Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana - Premier Tech) are two more names on the start line who will be amongst the favourites for the first Grand Tour of the season, while Ilnur Zakarin continues his first season back at Gazprom-RusVelo, and Pello Bilbao turns out for Bahrain-Victorious, who will be looking to add to their solitary win of the season so far.

Thibaut Pinot says there is still "cycling at two speeds" in the peloton, telling French newspaper L'Équipe in an extensive interview his thoughts on cortisone and ketone use after receiving a TUE this winter for his back pain.

The Groupama-FDJ's 2020 season was derailed by a crash on stage one of the Tour de France, battling through the next three weeks so as to not register a fifth abandonment in eight starts.

Pinot's decision to then start the Vuelta a España was one based purely on pride, the Frenchman says, and that his back is still troubling him now six months later, which worries him with the new season beginning imminently.

Having resumed training on November 20, his back was as painful as before his time off the bike, saying he then made a decision he should have long before, to receive an injection of cortisone.

>>> Tom Pidcock posts staggering 5k run time during off-bike training

"From an ethical point of view, I have always been against it. There, we were in a period totally out of competition, in the middle of winter. I would never have done that between two races," Pinot says, adding that he didn't have an ethical problem with his decision as the use was "really in order to heal me". The topic is, however, one that continues to rile him.

"Of course, it pisses me off. I just saw that corticosteroids would be banned in racing in 2022. When you have an injection or you use cortisone, there are at least three weeks of effects...some [riders] do [it] just before the races. You are out of competition, but the effect is there.

"I'm the complete opposite of all of that, but we're still in two-speed cycling I think...a guy who has a TUE has no place being on a bicycle. He is not fit to compete."

Does Pinot think that many riders in the peloton use TUEs to gain an unfair advantage? He says he'd rather not know, but that he now knows just how much of an effect it can have on performance.

"I don't know, I don't hope, but anyway, we play along, but is everyone doing it? I prefer not to know. But if it's 2022 or 2023, it will be the end of my career, so I would never have known cycling without all of that...

"Since I turned pro, people talk to me about this, about that, then again about that...there's always something new coming up. I'm sick of it because when I see the effect the injection has had on my back, I tell myself that there are several races that I would have finished. My fall in the Tour last summer, the injury in 2019."

As for ketones, Pinot says the most concerning thing is that young riders are being contacted via Instagram by people trying to sell them the product.

"We don't really know [the true effect of ketones] but why do riders keep throwing their cans in nature and, on the other hand, the small vials of ketones, they keep them in their pockets?" Pinot asks. "I do not understand. We are told that it makes you lose weight, but the hardest part in cycling is not doing six or seven hours, it is precisely the weight, to lose weight while keeping your power and strength.

"Some studies say it dries you out, but if it is, it's already huge. Some runners are contacted on Instagram, canvassed to buy ketones. I tell myself that juniors, hopefuls, who are alone, young people who absolutely want to go pro, can be tempted, and that shocks me."

It is rare for a rider of the level of Pinot to speak with such candour about these matters, saying the existence of the MPCC and not all teams belong to it means "we know we don't all follow the same rules, that's a shame".

He goes on to explain the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on out-of-competition doping controls, and that he was last visited by officials was before the 2020 Tour de France.

"Since then, no unexpected checks. It worries everyone. After [the pandemic began], the controls are targeted, so I hope that some riders are a little more targeted than me."

As for the future, Pinot says he once again needs a break from the Tour, like he did in 2018, as a third consecutive disappointment at the French Grand Tour this year would be too much to bear, and anyway, the parcours don't necessarily suit another tilt at the yellow jersey.

"Above all, it is that there are many arrivals downhill. At the top, there are three (Tignes, Col du Portet, Luz Ardiden). The arrival in Tignes is a hill climb, not an arrival at the top. For a climber like me, three is not enough. It is only there that I express myself, that I take pleasure."

As for 2022, Pinot envisions coming back to the Tour "with the knife between my teeth", as he did in 2019.

"I still have the level to do great things on the Tour de France, I'm convinced of it."

Thibaut Pinot is set to skip the 2021 Tour de France, according to French media, with the Groupama-FDJ instead set to contest the Giro d'Italia in May.

Once again, Pinot is said to have tired of the pressure that comes with riding his home Grand Tour as a contender, while the 2021 route is also less mountainous and therefore not as suited to his abilities as the previous couple of editions.

Instead, Pinot will turn his attention back to the Giro d'Italia, according to RMC Sport, which the Frenchman has an affinity for, with this year's route set to unveiled soon.

The 30-year-old would take leadership of the Groupama-FDJ squad at the Giro, with top billing at the Tour de France potentially falling into the hands of compatriot Arnaud Démare. The French sprinter was disappointed to not be included in the 2020 Tour squad, which was geared towards a full GC tilt for Pinot, who suffered through the three weeks after a crash on stage one. Démare instead rode the Giro, winning four stages on his way to taking the points classification.

>>> Wilco Kelderman suffers fractured vertebrae in Bora-Hansgrohe training camp car accident

After the disappointment of the Tour Pinot lined up for the Vuelta a España but didn't take the start on stage three, his fifth Grand Tour abandonment in five years.

After his break from the Tour in 2018, Pinot then emotionally abandoned the 2019 edition in the last week as he looked to have one hand on the yellow jersey. He first rode the Giro in 2017, finishing fourth, where he was kept from the podium by a lung infection, 1-17 behind winner Tom Dumoulin.

Groupama-FDJ will host an online team presentation for the new season on Tuesday January 19, where they could announce these rumoured plans for the upcoming season.

Last week, the team also announced David Gaudu would lead the team at Paris-Nice in March, the 24-year-old Frenchman impressing in 2020, winning two stages at the Vuelta a España and finishing eighth overall.

Thibaut Pinot says the route of the 2021 Tour de France “is really classic,” as the course features plenty of opportunities for the puncheurs. 

The Groupama-FDJ rider has been unlucky in the Tour in recent years, suffering repeated injuries that have spoiled his general classification ambitions. 

But Pinot says the route is a more classic edition, with more chances for the sprinters and punchy riders, while he says  stage nine to Tignes is “beautiful.” 

In an interview with French newspaper L’est Républican, Pinot said: “It's a Tour route that is different from recent years. Less for climbers and more for complete runners , especially with two big time trials. 

“It's a course which is really classic, I find, as we had not had for several years, with a lot of sprints, stages for punchers especially.” 

After being forced to abandon last year’s Tour due to a muscle tear in the final week, Pinot’s 2020 Tour got off to a disappointing start when he crashed in the opening stage and never fully recovered. 

The Frenchman then started the Vuelta a España but abandoned after two stages. 

But will Pinot be tempted back again after seeing the 2021 course?

He added: “There will be quite a few mountains in the first part and the Pyrenees which are quite tough. A beautiful stage in Tignes which is, for me, the most pleasant stage.”

Next year’s Tour starts in Brittany on June 26, then heads down the centre of France and hits the Alps at the end of the first week.  

The race will then transition towards the Pyrenees through the south, stopping off at the legendary Mont Ventoux along the way, where riders will take on two sides of the mountain before a downhill finish. 

>>> Tour de France 2021 route analysis: Who does the new route suit best? 

Finally the Tour riders will take on a second time trial on the penultimate day before the processional sprint stage in Paris.

Thibaut Pinot has abandoned the Vuelta a España 2020. 

The Groupama-FDJ rider has been struggling with a back injury he suffered on the opening stage of the Tour de France, which derailed his general classification hopes.

Pinot lined up at the Vuelta in the hopes of taking a consolation prize from 2020, but after losing 25 minutes in the opening two stages he has pulled out of the race.

Groupama-FDJ said before stage three: "Despite the rest period he observed, the first two stages of the Vuelta have shown Thibaut Pinot continues to suffer from the back pain he experienced after his crash at the Tour de France.

"With regard to the next season, priority is given to his complete recovery - he will not take the start of the third stage and will no longer compete in 2020."

In his pre-race race press conference, as reported by Cycling News, Pinot said he had not recovered from his crash on stage one in Nice, and said he would be supported his team-mate David Gaudu in the general classification race.

The 30-year-old said: "Since the Tour, my back has not recovered 100 per cent.

"I don't want to end the year at the Tour, and I hope the Vuelta can put me back on the right path, and help me into the winter. I'm counting on the Vuelta to give me the enjoyment that I've not had for quite a while now."

Pinot's misfortune in Grand Tours continues, after a string of huge disappointments in three week races, which started at last year's Tour de France.

The Frenchman has been among the strongest contenders in last year's Tour, but suffered a muscle tear in the final week and abandoned the race in tears on stage 19.

In the 2020 Tour, Pinot looked to be in great form after finishing second in the Critérium du Dauphiné, but his dreams of the yellow jersey fell to pieces on the opening stage of the Tour.

Pinot was caught in a crash in the closing kilometres of stage one in Nice and suffered a back injury when another rider hit him.

He made it through Paris despite the injury, finishing 29th overall, before lining up in Spain a month later.

But as the injury still lingered, Pinot lost 10 minutes on the brutal opening stage of the Vuelta in the Basque Country,

He then lost another 15 minutes on stage 10, before deciding not to take to the start of stage three.

>>> Vincenzo Nibali says today is the Giro d’Italia queen stage after changes to final mountain day 

Groupama-FDJ's general classification hopes for Gaudu have also taken a blow, as he sits 3-20 down on the leader after two stags.

Chris Froome and Thibaut Pinot are out of contention for the 2020 Vuelta a España after losing time on stage one.

The Spanish Grand Tour opened with a bang as riders took on a 173km stage in the Basque Country, finishing atop the Alto de Arrate.  

As the reigning Vuelta champion Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) rode to a commanding stage victory, some of the biggest names in the race fell casualty to a brutal first stage. 

Froome was dropped on the penultimate climb of the day, as his Ineos Grenadiers team set a fierce pace on the front for their leader Richard Carapaz.  

>>> Five talking points from stage one of the Vuelta a España 2020

Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) was also dropped on the same climb, as his Grand Tour hopes crumbled for the second time this year after his failed Tour de France bid. 

The Frenchman finished the stage in 63rd place, 9-56 down on the stage winner, while Froome was not far behind in 72nd, 11-12 off the pace. 

This year’s Vuelta a España exploded on only the first day of racing, with Roglič, Carapaz, Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Esteban Chaves emerging as the strongest. 

Others to fall behind on the final climb include Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma), Alejandro Valerde (Movistar) and Wout Poels (Bahrain-McLaren), who each lost at least a minute by the summit of the 5km-long, 8.5 per cent average Alto de Arrate.

Froome lost contact with the main group around 16km from the finish on the Elgata climb (2.9km at 8.8 per cent), but very briefly managed to regain contacted before his team-mates ramped up the pace to try and set up Carapaz for the stage.  

The two-time Vuelta winner said he was hoping to support Carapaz as he was still unsure about his own form after his awful crashed at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné. Froome sounded positive after the race saying he hoped to continue building into better form throughout the race.

"For me personally I got a bit caught out coming into the penultimate climb, started pretty far back and got stuck behind the crahs at the bottom there," Froome said at the finish of stage one.

"But I'm really happy to be here, really happy to be racing a Grand Tour after two years of not doing any Grand Tours and I'm just going to take the race day by day and keep trying to do us much for the team as I can throughout the race.

"Sensations were good, I think I still miss a little bit of that top-end from not having raced much but definitely an improvement and hope to keep building throughout the race."

Pinot had hoped to challenge for the 2020 Tour de France, but fell out of contention in the first week, finally finishing 29th in Paris.

His hopes of a consolation prize at the Vuelta fell away on stage one.  

Heartbreak again for Thibaut Pinot

The cycling world bore witness to an upsetting but familiar sight on the Port de Balès, as Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) was dropped out of contention for the yellow jersey.

There was a horrible sense of deja-vu reminiscent of his collapse in the Alps at last year's Tour de France, with teammate Stefan Küng even putting a consoling arm over his shoulder just as William Bonnet did so memorably.

One difference, though, was that this time Pinot was not in tears, instead seeming more resigned than devastated. These were, after all, different circumstances than last year, when he appeared to be on the form of his life and was potentially just days away from winning the yellow jersey.

What went wrong? From his body language, and the way he clutched his back at one moment, it appeared that the Frenchman is still hurting from the injuries sustained from his opening stage crash, despite having managed to stay with the favourites on all the stages up until now.

Remembering how Pinot even considered retiring following the heart-breaking end to last year’s Tour, you have to wonder what the future holds for Pinot — who has already described today as potentially a “major turning point in my career”.

For now, let’s hope he can overcome the pain to stay in the race, and potentially bounce back to try and win a stage.

Adam Yates gallantly defends yellow on the first GC showdown

Although we’ve had difficult climbs and summit finishes already in this Tour, stage eight felt like the first proper showdown between the favourites.

Many fans had flocked to the top of the Col de Peyresourde, providing the familiar sight of riders crawling up the climb in single file while surrounded by waves of cheering spectators — albeit with the unfamiliar twist that most of them were wearing masks.

Those spectators were treated to some thrilling racing, too, as the favourites attacked each other all the way up the climb.

That put Adam Yates’ (Mithcelton-Scott) slender hold on the yellow jersey under serious threat. With so many riders within just 13 seconds of his lead, the attacks were constant, with the likes of Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) and Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) all sniffing a chance at take yellow.

These accelerations saw Yates dropped several times, but he remained calm, riding the mountain at his own pace. By the summit he had re-joined the small group of favourites, and managed to fend off attacks from Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) and Bardet on the descent to successfully defend his lead.

It was a gutsy, intelligent ride from the Lancastrian, and an indication that he might still be yellow for some time yet.

Nans Peters wins the stage

In a day of mixed fortunes for French riders, one unqualified triumph was Nans Peters (AG2R La Mondiale), who masterfully won the stage from the breakaway.

In a race that had up until now been largely dominated by the famous, established names, Peters becomes one of only two riders (the other being Alexey Lutsenko) to win a stage this year having never done so in the past.

The victory was as much a result of his skills going downhill as it was going uphill. When the Frenchman reached the summit of Port de Balès alongside Ilnur Zakarin (CCC), Zakarin looked the best bet to win the stage, what with his pedigree as a former Grand Tour podium finisher.

But 25 of the remaining 35 kilometres were downhill, which proved to be Zakarin’s downfall as Peters dropped him on the descent of Port de Balès. The lead of around 30 seconds he had gained once reaching the base of the Peyresourde proved to be enough of a buffer, and Peters soloed to victory.

It’s the 26-year-old’s second Grand Tour stage win from a breakaway after he won stage seventeen of the Giro d’Italia last year, and, on this basis, there could be many more to follow.

The yellow jersey favourites emerge

Although the first seven stages had given us some idea as to what form the favourites are in, stage eight was our first glimpse of who really are the strongest riders at this year’s Tour de France.

Unsurprisingly Primož Roglič was one of them, and it was the pace set by his Jumbo-Visma team that blew the race to pieces on the Peyresourde. Once Tom Dumoulin had finished his turn at the front, just nine other riders remained.

Roglič was also one of only two riders who were able to respond to an attack from Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), the other being Nairo Quintana. With a sizeable gap over the other favourites, who either did not or could not try to follow them, it looked for a moment as though we might have been witnessing the eventual make-up of the podium.

But the trio chose not to press on, allowing for a regrouping, leaving questions about whether they are indeed stronger than the other favourites inconclusive.

At the finish, ten riders finished in the yellow jersey group (38 seconds behind Pogačar, who had successfully attack again earlier): Romain Bardet, Miguel Ángel López, Adam Yates, Egan Bernal, Mikel Landa, Guillaume Martin, Primož Roglič, Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Urán and Richie Porte. It’s highly likely that one of these riders will be wearing the yellow jersey in Paris.

Big names are taken out of contention

The Peyresourde proved to be the Waterloo of many of the top favourites’ dreams of winning this year’s Tour de France.

In a bizarre series of events, Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) was ejected out the back of the peloton just moments after attempting to make an attack. It was a strange misjudgement of how strong his legs were, and he ended up finishing over ten minutes behind the group of favourites. There will therefore be no repeat of his dramatic pursuit of overall victory last year, and he will probably target stage wins from now on instead.

Jumbo-Visma adopted a strategy that appeared to sacrifice Tom Dumoulin’s hopes of a GC finish. The Dutchman used up all his energy setting a ferocious pace at the front of the peloton, and ultimately lost over two minutes to the other favourites.

>>> ‘This wasn’t the plan’: Tom Dumoulin sacrifices GC ambitions mid-stage at Tour de France 

Others dropped included last year’s fourth-place finisher Emanual Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), who may still be struggling from the injury that forced him out of the Dauphine last month, Ineos Grenadiers’ Richard Carapaz and Yates’ teammate Esteban Chaves — although these riders managed to limit their losses to just one minute, so could still be in contention for a high GC finish.

Thibaut Pinot is out of yellow jersey contention at the 2020 Tour de France after being dropped early on the first day in the Pyrenees, saying "maybe this is a turning point in my career" after the stage.

The Frenchman has been suffering with back problems since crashing on the opening stage in Nice, after rain had made the roads slippery.

Since then, Pinot has been on the treatment table for physiotherapy for two hours a day after each stage, as Groupama-FDJ attempt to manage their rider's lower back injury.

Despite their best efforts, Pinot was dropped from the GC group on the Port de Balès, with the Col de Peyresourde still ahead on the road.

"Pinot still has back problems. Obviously, he is having trouble chaining the stages in the mountains," Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot said while his rider was still out on the road.. "This is the race. It's part of this job. You have to accept when things are less well."

Pinot eventually rolled across the line in 64th place, having lost 25 minutes.

"I had so much pain in my back that I couldn't pedal," Pinot said he'd finished the stage.

"It's a complicated year but I never thought about leaving the race. There are lots of complications for me right now. Maybe this is a major turning point in my career."

It was a mixed day for French fans, after Julian Alaphilippe lost 18 minutes, going out on one last attack in the GC group, the Deceuninck - Quick-Step rider easily reeled back in by Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo-Visma).

>>> Tom Pidcock wins final stage of under-23 Giro d’Italia and wraps up the overall 

Meanwhile, Nans Peters (Ag2r La Mondiale) took the stage, while his team-mate Romain Bardet moved up to fourth on GC, and Cofidis' Guillaume Martin sits third.

Thibaut Pinot was caught up in a crash in the closing kilometres of stage of the 2020 Tour de France.

With the stage neutralised from 3km to go due to the treacherous conditions, the Frenchman crossed the line four minutes behind Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) who won the stage and took the yellow jersey.

Pinot looked exasperated as he got back on his feet, first leaning over his bike to catch his breath before banging it on the road in frustration at his misfortune, the crash said to have been caused by the wet, white lines of a pedestrian crossing. It's not yet known whether he has suffered any injuries.

The Groupama-FDJ ride rode the final kilometres alongside his team-mates, his jersey ripped at the shoulder as well as sporting tears in his shorts near the hip.

After the finish, Groupama-FDJ said that three of their riders had been brought down in the crash, with David Gaudu and William Bonnet the other two involved, as well as Valentin Madouas hitting the deck earlier in the day. The quartet is said to have reassured the team that their condition is fine after returning to the team bus.

"Like anyone who has a crash in the finale, he was annoyed and a bit tense," Marc Madiot, the Groupama-FDJ boss said. "But after a good night’s resort, things should be fine tomorrow.

"Thibaut avoided the crashes before the three-kilometre to go point but when it’s slippy, it’s slippy. When they got to the three-kilometre to go point I think some guys eased up and got in the way."

>>> Miguel Ángel López crashes into road sign after riders neutralise racing on descent at Tour de France

Stage one was marred by crashes, with Miguel Ángel López careering into a road sign on a descent and Nairo Quintana just about managing to stay upright with some gravity-defying balance.

Ineos' Pavel Sivakov also suffered a nasty-looking fall early on, detached from the peloton for a while before he fought back, while Jumbo-Visma's George Bennett also came off during the final descent.

Bennett's team-mate Tony Martin had managed to convince the riders of a temporary halt to racing during the stage, but when action resumed even announcing a GC neutralisation from 3km couldn't prevent the final crash that brought down Pinot.

"Since 2014, people keep telling it’s now or never for the French, so yes, I'm getting used to that. The difference is if it’s not this year [that he wins], they will repeat it next year.

"But it’s true, the most negative pressure is the pressure I put on myself, how I handle pressure, I have more experience now. I can now walk away from this type of pressure. Now, I feel serenity."

How do you solve a problem like Thibaut Pinot?

The French climber bends the laws of physics, ascending mountains at the pace he does while carrying the hopes of an entire nation on his back. At times, it's glorious, counting victories atop Alpe d'Huez and the Col du Tourmalet on his palmarès. Yet the top prize still alludes him.

The speculation continues to revolve around whether the 30-year-old has the mental toughness to match the strength in his legs. Just how much last year's sudden abandonment due to a torn quadricep muscle was a physical ailment is still pondered upon.

>>> Tour de France diary: If it reaches stage 21, let’s call this Tour ‘the miracle that somehow got to Paris’

Pinot climbed off in tears before the climb where he was supposed to launch his assault on the yellow jersey in 2019, instead getting into the back of his team car as Egan Bernal took the race lead - in part thanks to a landslide.

"Compared to last year I feel stronger, under less pressure," Pinot estimates. "I am quite detached from pressure so let’s not waste energy for nothing.

"I feel serene and I am motivated. What happened last year won’t repeat itself. It has made me stronger, in a way. I feel confident and I am stronger this year, I promise."

While the likes of Egan Bernal (Ineos) and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) have faced bumps in the preparatory road to Nice, Pinot's has been smooth sailing and he feels 100 per cent. However, he refuses to sign up for a 'win at all costs' mentality, saying he hopes only for the podium, whatever the step he stands on.

"The objective is the same as last year, to do my best," Pinot says, trying to manage expectations. "My best is the podium, top three or better. I had a good preparation, I was okay at La Route d'Occitanie, the Dauphiné, and now im 100 per cent at the start of the Tour de France. No physical issues, no health concerns. I've had a good level for the past three weeks, which I think will take me to the best position on GC."

"Is there a smile behind your face mask?" asks one French journalist, like an executioner asking if the noose fits comfortably.

"Yes I’m smiling, because I'm at the start of the Tour. I'm happy to be here with the team. The hardest part for me is I'm wearing a mask most of the time. It’s annoying, but when you're riding the bike you forget about it."

The omnipresent masks are a continual reminder that it would be somewhat of a miracle if this year's race reaches Paris, and that if he is going to win he hopes it's because he's the best rider and not because positive tests - or non-negatives as has become the preferred term - force the abandon of a rival.

"I dont think about that at all, I stay focused on the race," Pinot says of the chance the peloton doesn't arrive on the Champs-Élysées. "For me, it’s hard to imagine any team will leave the race, I hope none do, I hope the result in Paris reflects the sporting reality."

Standing in his way, aside from a mountainous parcours well-suited to the Frenchman, are Ineos and Jumbo-Visma, who Pinot says are the only two teams stronger than his Groupama-FDJ outfit.

"We are not afraid of other teams. I think Jumbo-Visma and Ineos will have the pressure of organising the race, starting tomorrow actually.

"I think they'll lock up the race, like at the Dauphiné, where they followed the strategy I thought they would. I imagine it will be a well-managed race by them but lots can happen over three weeks."

The first real challenge will happen in week one, though, with a battle at altitude on stage four, when the race heads up to Orcières-Merlett for the first time since 1989, which was previously the setting when Luis Ocaña put nine minutes into Eddy Merckx in 1971.

"It's an important stage, of course, I could wear the yellow jersey that evening," Pinot admits. "Many people would like to win that stage, I will have to be present on Sunday [which features two category one climbs], as well as Tuesday [stage four].

"The one who wins there will certainly wear the yellow jersey so I certainly would like to win it."

The "present", as he calls it, of the yellow jersey is a box currently left unticked, and the team's plan is for it to remain off Pinot's shoulders until the third week, with Groupama-FDJ wanting to let Jumbo-Visma and Ineos burn matches as they control the race over the opening fortnight before pouncing in the final days.

"It’s not the way I race," Pinot counters to his dreams of yellow on stage four. "We want to be there in the third week. We don't have an army like Ineos or Jumbo-Visma, that’s their role.

"But in the third week we will do our thing and attack. In the first week it will be tough, they will try and crush the competition in week one."

If Pinot can resist the strength of the powerhouse teams, as well as the pressure from both himself and the public, the yellow jersey has a very good chance of finally being back in French hands when the peloton (hopefully) arrives on Parisian cobbles later this month.

Let’s start with some stats: 40 years since the last victory in Liège-Bastogne-Liège; 35 since the last in the Tour de France; 31 since the last Giro d’Italia; 28 years since the last Tour of Flanders; 25 since the last Vuelta a España; 23 since the last Paris-Roubaix and World Championship win. This is the record of France’s male cyclists in cycling’s most prestigious events.

To a large extent, these numbers explain why cycling has lost its lustre in one of racing’s traditional powers over the past three decades. Combined with innumerable doping scandals, cycling has steadily slid down the sporting hierarchy, mirroring declines in both Italy and Spain. Once able to put football in the shade, during the summer at least, bike racing has been anchored in the doldrums for so long that a host of other sports have caught and sailed past it, notably Formula 1, basketball and rugby.

Finally, though, there is a sense of renaissance. In 2016, Arnaud Démare ended a long winning drought at Milan-San Remo, his success emulated last year by Julian Alaphilippe. In 2018, Thibaut Pinot delivered a first French success at Il Lombardia for more than two decades. During that same period, Romain Bardet twice finished on the Tour de France podium, while Alaphilippe and Pinot both lit up last year’s edition, the former almost pulling off the most unlikely of overall victories, the latter looking set to inherit his compatriot’s yellow jersey until an unusual thigh injury forced him to abandon. "I was sure that Pinot was going to win," eventual champion Egan Bernal admitted during the off-season break.

What’s more, this resurgence in French fortunes looks likely to be sustained. Coming up behind these renowned names is a swathe of younger talent, including Benoît Cosnefroy and Pierre Latour at Ag2r La Mondiale, David Gaudu and Valentin Madouas at Groupama-FDJ, Guillaume Martin at Cofidis, Elie Gesbert at Arkéa-Samsic, and Rémi Cavagna and Florian Sénéchal at Deceuninck-Quick Step. French cycling is on the up, its biggest names not only rivalling the best for major titles, but also attracting new fans to the sport.

>>> Subscriptions deals for Cycling Weekly magazine

There’s no single reason why this new wave of French talent has emerged. The tightening of anti-doping legislation and the improvement in testing procedures leading to an end of cyclisme à deux vitesses has been cited. At the same time, leading French teams have been better funded and, more significantly, successes by certain riders such as Bardet, Pinot and Warren Barguil have encouraged others to believe that they too can compete at the highest level. This is particularly true of younger riders who, like prodigies such as Bernal, Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, have also benefited from an improvement in training knowledge and methods that have facilitated the step up from under-23 racing to the senior peloton.

Tour and Worlds aim

When racing restarts, it seems highly likely that France’s recent rise will continue, as will the rewriting of those dismal stats. The nation’s standard-bearers will be devoting particular attention to the Tour and the road World Championships, the last French wins in those events dating back, respectively, to Bernard Hinault’s fifth yellow jersey in 1985 and Laurent Brochard’s rainbow jersey success in 1997.

Following the restructure of the calendar, these two races are, for this one season at least, inextricably linked, with the Tour due to finish on 20 September and the Worlds set to take place one week later. Although the odds would probably be long on the French winning both titles, this wouldn’t be as big a surprise as it would have been four or five seasons ago. At that point, French riders were still on the periphery. However, after Démare nudged open the door to success in major events with his Milan-San Remo win, Alaphilippe has drop-kicked it off its hinges.

Primož Roglič may be the world’s number one rider, but there’s no doubt about its biggest star at the moment, the Frenchman’s swashbuckling feats putting even arch-showman Peter Sagan in the shade. By winning San Remo, Strade Bianche, Flèche Wallonne and grabbing the headlining role at the Tour, the Deceuninck-Quick Step rider was barely out of the headlines last season. France’s roads remain testament to the popular euphoria he triggered, "Allez JuJu" never long in appearing.

Home fans may be expecting a repeat when the Tour gets under way at the end of this summer, but Alaphilippe is playing down his GC prospects. "I won’t be targeting the overall classification," he recently told L’Équipe. He will instead go into it looking for stage wins. He acknowledges, though, that his explosive qualities and racing verve might push him into contention, which would whip up JuJu-mania once more. Last year, he not only fed off, but actively encouraged this feverish acclaim, and it’s unlikely that such a flamboyant performer would be able to resist its pull once again.

Pierre Carrey, cycling correspondent at Libération, describes Alaphilippe as the most thrilling racer France has produced for more than a generation, but is concerned that too much is expected of a rider who, for now, is at his best in one-day and week-long races. "He will have to change his preparation if he really wants to target the yellow jersey, and doing so might well remove some of the enjoyment he gets from competing. He’ll need to rein himself in and be more cautious," he says. Carrey believes this might happen in a couple of seasons, but expects Alaphilippe to continue with his current line of conquest, with the Worlds, Liège and, new for this year, Flanders as his next objectives.

Carrey picks out Pinot as the French rider most likely to end their long Tour drought, highlighting how the Groupama-FDJ leader has steadily come to terms with the immense pressure that a yellow jersey challenge heaps on any home contender. "He stopped enjoying racing in France, made the choice to focus on the Giro for a couple of seasons, but during that time he realised how much he loves the Tour. He now looks far more capable of dealing with the challenge it presents," says Carrey. "The fact that he was happy for a France Télévisions crew to follow him throughout the 2019 Tour backs this up. He wouldn’t have wanted to be in the spotlight like that before."

High expectations

This programme captured some great moments, notably the exultation of Pinot’s victory on the Tourmalet and the devastation of his injury-enforced abandon on the Alpine stage to Tignes. It helped to catapult him into the heart of France’s sporting conscience. Naturally introverted and far happier at home in the Vosges looking after a menagerie that includes sheep, goats and a llama than as a sporting celebrity in the public eye, Pinot would have shied away from this focus, but now accepts it as inevitable if he is to win the Tour, which he affirmed is his principal aim when, in early June, he agreed a three-year extension to his contract with Groupama-FDJ.

>>> Cycling Weekly is available on your Smart phone, tablet and desktop

As Alaphilippe and Pinot’s stars have risen, Bardet’s has faded, to the extent that his capture of the polka-dot jersey in last year’s race went almost unnoticed. A very disappointing 15th on GC, his worst finish since his debut in 2013, the mountains classification offered a touch of consolation, although it wasn’t captured with the same swagger that Alaphilippe and Barguil had shown in 2018 and 2017 respectively.

Having borne French Tour hopes in recent seasons, he’s responded to this eclipse with a Pinot-like reassessment of his goals. The restructuring of the season has meant his plans to target the Giro and Olympic road race have had to be forsaken until next year. But, like Alaphilippe, he’ll ride the Tour looking for stage wins and hoping to reach peak form for the Worlds a week later. "The world champion’s jersey is something that’s sorely lacking in French cycling, it stands above everything apart from the yellow jersey," Bardet said earlier this season, adding that this year’s championship "is going to be a very important race for French cycling".

Like Innsbruck in 2018, where Bardet took silver behind Alejandro Valverde, the Martigny course appears tailor-made for the French. Under the guidance of coach Thomas Voeckler, who has already selected Bardet, Alaphilippe and Pinot as his leaders, France expects. What’s different to many points over the last three decades is the probability of that expectation being fulfilled. In the event the yellow and rainbow jerseys don’t arrive this year, they do look likely to come soon. But if these titles do fall to French riders, at a time when other major sports are still re-emerging from hibernation, it would likely result in a significant shift in public awareness and support for the sport, signalling a renaissance that is long overdue.

This feature originally appeared in the print edition of Cycling Weekly, on sale in newsagents and supermarkets, priced £3.25.

While the pro racing scene has been frozen for the last few months, Groupama-FDJ are investing in their future by extending contracts with their four biggest stars.

The French WorldTour squad has re-signed Grand Tour hopeful Thibaut Pinot, rising star David Gaudu, sprinter Arnaud Démare and time trial specialist Stefan Küng through to 2023.

Many teams are facing an uncertain future in the fallout from the coronavirus crisis, but both of Groupama-FDJ’s title sponsors have committed to the team until 2024.

Team manager Marc Madiot said: “Extending this quartet of riders is an obvious decision. Each one of them brings his own contribution to the team.

“Since the team’s inception, we have always been and remain committed to our riders over the long term.

“Very often, they are riders who have become professionals with us so that we have a relationship of trust and very high ambitions. I remain convinced that in order to achieve extremely high sporting goals, you have to be committed to the long term.”

Groupama-FDJ made no secret that their main ambition is to win a Grand Tour, as Pinot said he wants to commit himself to winning the Tour de France.

The Frenchman had the 2019 Tour within his grasp heading into the final few days of racing, but he was forced to abandon the race on stage 19 after suffering muscle damage to his leg that ruled him out of the for the rest of the season.

But Pinot still hopes to deliver on his potential, having finished third in the Tour back in 2013.

The 30-year-old said: “Leaving, when I arrive in my best years would have left me with a taste of unfinished business. I haven’t finished writing my story with this team. I’m firmly convinced that we’re still going to build great things and win the best races. The Tour de France is obviously still the ultimate goal for which I want to devote myself 100 per cent.

Groupama are also looking to the future be re-signing 23-year-old David Gaudu, who looks to be at the forefront of the next generation of French Grand Tour contenders.

Gaudu picked up a WorldTour stage victory at the Tour de Romandie last year and went in to finish 13th overall in the 2019 Tour.

>>> Paralympic gold medallist smashes 570km ride on the time trial bike 

He said: “Today we can say that my learning phase is over. From now on I will be able to play a more assertive role within the team and the sports management will also have high expectations of me. I’ll be there to help my leaders win certain races, but I’ll also be aiming to win races that are meant for me. The next three years are going to be exciting and I’m lucky that the team is offering me these great opportunities. “

The iconic Mont Ventoux made a cameo in this year’s Tour de la Provence, which of course resulted in some phenomenal early-season performances.

Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) undoubtedly earned the ‘man of the match’ award for his record-breaking performance on the shortened version of the climb, taking stage three honours and securing his overall victory in the process.

But further back down the mountain, we saw some other hugely impressive performances from the likes of Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma).

Unfortunately, Quintana doesn’t post his rides on Strava so we don’t have an insight into the numbers behind his performance and the King of the Mountain still stands, but we can still gain a glimpse into the performance of other riders on the 9.6km-long Chalet Reynard version of Mont Ventoux.

The current KoM on the Ste Estève-Chalet Reynard segment is held by Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale), who set the leading time of 29-45 during the 2016 Tour de France, when the race finished at the lower altitude on stage 12.

But during the Tour de la Provence on Saturday (February 15), Thibaut Pinot was not far behind his compatriot as he posted a time of 30-18 and took joint-third spot on the Strava leaderboard.

Pinot, who finished ninth in Chalet Reynard, doesn’t post his power data on Strava unfortunately but Sep Kuss, who climbed in exactly the same time, does.

American Kuss put down and average of 374w for the 30-18 effort, which is a staggering 5.8 watts per kilo for his 64 kilogram build.

The 25-year-old hit a maximum power of 830w and held an average heart rate of 188 beats per minute, topping out his effort at 197bpm to take sixth on the stage.

Another formidable performance on Sunday came from Jumbo-Visma’s Robert Gesink, who may have only finished the stage as 18th fastest and reached 12th place on Strava, but still put out some enormous numbers.

The Dutchman put out 412 watts for 31-34, or 5.8w/kg.

An honourable mention also has to go to Britain’s Charlie Quarterman, who is riding his debut WorldTour season with Trek-Segafredo.

>>> Racing ahead: Stellar line-ups battle it out in Algarve and Andalucía 

The 21-year-old made it through his second stage race and finished the Ventoux stage in 112th place out of 141 finishers.

Quarterman made it up the climb in 44-40, holding 309w to the finish with an average heart-rate of 160bpm, finishing alongside his team-mate and junior world champion Quinn Simmons.

Thibaut Pinot is "already focused on the Tour de France", according to a sports director at Groupama-FDJ, as the Frenchman returns to racing at the Tour de La Provence, his first race back since abandoning the 2019 Tour through injury.

The 29-year-old was back on his bike after only three weeks rest, starting a long period of training over the winter months, but is now readying himself for the 2020 season.

"After his recovery, he had to get going again. The recovery was very gradual, and unlike last year, he did not do cross-country skiing. Maybe he didn’t want to. In any case, he focused only on his cycling practice and the very heart of his job. This led him to be back in shape quite quickly," said Groupama-FDJ's Philippe Mauduit.

The team is confident their star rider can go on to repeat his form of last year, having come so close to winning his home Grand Tour, as he is producing similar values to this time last year. "In Tenerife [at a recent training camp], he produced values similar to those of the previous year, which at the time enabled him to fight for the win in the Tour de La Provence and the Tour du Haut-Var," Mauduit explained.

>>> Mark Cavendish: ‘Rod Ellingworth always stood by me when people you thought were your friends didn’t’

"However, I absolutely don’t want to put pressure on him for these races. As I said, it’s been a long time since he raced. He will have to settle back into the bunch. We’ll really give him time for that.

"The only small uncertainty is he’s been out of racing since July. Although he is very much looking forward to the fight, we don’t really know where he will be in terms of race rhythm. That being said, we’re only in February. At the end of the Tour du Haut-Var, we can be sure that he will be in good shape and ready for the rest of the season."

The Tour de La Provence will be contested over four stages, including a finish at Chalet Reynard on Mont Ventoux. While the mystical French climb won't feature in the 2020 Tour route, the next edition of the race is already on the Frenchman's mind.

"We’re already focused on the Tour, of course," Mauduit said. "All the rosters, all the races chosen are made in order to unite a group, to make a group work together and to prepare for July. However, we must not lose sight that we are far from July...Obviously, we plan already, and the Tour de France is so competitive nowadays that we have to prepare it months and months ahead."

Both Jumbo-Visma and Ineos have already announced their squads for the July race, with Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, Tom Dumoulin, Primož Roglič and Steven Kruijswijk set to provide fierce competition for the French as they eye a first home Grand Tour victory since 1985.

Groupama-FDJ are taking confidence from Geraint Thomas to fuel their belief Pinot can return better in 2020. The 2018 Tour champion's slow start to 2019 where he was overweight and suffering from illness faded away as the Welshman finished second on the podium to his team-mate Bernal.

"Just look at Geraint Thomas’s season last year. He was sick, was overweight, and was way behind in all races until the Tour de Suisse, where he planned to finish his preparation. Bad luck, he crashed out after two days. Despite all that, he was on the podium of the Tour," Mauduit said.

"You just have to keep it right, keep a cool head and stay focused no matter what. A poor performance will not call everything into question, far from it. We know where we stand. We guess what could be our shortcomings. We are all rather naturally optimistic so we sometimes forget a bit that we could also have setbacks, but we are ready to endure some knowing that it will not, in any way, question what could happen in July."

After the upsetting scenes when France's great hope for their first Tour de France win since 1985 climbed into the back of his team car just as he was about to launch his assault on the overall classification, Thibaut Pinot is making up for lost time.

The stars have aligned next year for riders inclined to going up hills, as alongside a gradient-laden Tour mountainous courses have been chosen for both the Olympic road race and the UCI Road World Championships in Switzerland.

Pinot could try and win all three.

At least according to Groupama-FDJ sports director Philippe Mauduit, who says the French rider and his trade team are already discussing how he could prepare himself for all three.

>>> Watch: This Velon recap shows some of the amazing bike-handling skills pro riders have

"We have already mentioned it, but we are talking about things that will happen in eight, nine months. Obviously we must think about it, but we will talk a little more during the off-season," Mauduit told Cyclism'Actu.

"Anyway, these are not the races of the Groupama-FDJ team but they are the races of the team of France, we do not make the selection. After that it is obvious that we will not put a spoke in the wheels of our runners, the Olympic Games and the Worlds, it is important in a career.

"Wearing the jersey of the French team and to have a chance to win a medal, it's huge, so of course that our team will support him to put the odds on his side. But again, we are not the ones making the selection."

You would imagine if Pinot indeed intends to take on both the Olympic and Worlds road races, French national team selectors won't stand in the way of the 2018 Il Lombardia winner.

While Pinot ended his 2019 season early after the disappointment of the Tour, the 29-year-old took some time off before resuming training to make sure he was ready to go one step better in 2020.

And has he re-found the form that saw him win a summit finish up the Tourmalet this year?

"Yes that's obvious," Mauduit said. "There is really no doubt because Thibaut has that strength. He has the character of the greatest, the character of champions that allows him to rebound after each difficult moment."

This attitude is what sets Pinot apart, his coach says, and there is no doubt that Groupama-FDJ are confident their rider will be able to achieve in 2020, no matter how many major goals he sets himself.

"This is what makes the difference between riders who are able to win races of very, very high level and others," Mauduit said. "It is this strength of character that pushes them to always question themselves and to always go further. To achieve their goals."

Thibaut Pinot has decided to end his season early in order to focus on a "very important" 2020 campaign, where he will target the Tour de France, a race he came close to winning this year.

The Frenchman's call to finish his season in early September means he will forgo the opportunity to defend his Il Lombardia title, having beaten Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) by 30 seconds as he claimed his first ever Monument.

>>> Julian Alaphilippe to lead French squad at Yorkshire Worlds

Pinot had been believed to be making his comeback at the Tour of Slovenia, following his abandon of the Tour de France in tears through injury as he closed in on the yellow jersey in the final stages. However, he says he feels "fatigued" and his crash caused him to take three weeks off the bike, disrupting his race and training schedule.

"I feel quite fatigued in a general way. After the Tour de France, I had to cut three weeks," Pinot said. "This forced rest does not allow me to be 100% for the rest of the season, including the Tour of Lombardy, which I am the outgoing winner and where I wanted to put my victory at stake, being able to fight with the best. My current state will not allow me to be competitive enough."

Pinot has already vowed to return to the Tour de France in 2020, having said he was convinced he stood a good chance of winning his home Grand Tour this year, sitting just 20 seconds behind Ineos' Egan Bernal on stage 19, before his abandon. Pinot said while he wont be racing he will continue to train for the rest of the month before taking time off during the winter break.

"I am already thinking of 2020, which will be a very important season for me. I am already planning for new goals and want to find my best level as soon as possible. For that, I will continue to train conscientiously until the end of September, to approach the winter break without accumulating too much delay on my physical form."

While Pinot and Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) delighted home fans at this year's Tour with their attacking panache and willingness to take the race to the likes of Ineos, one French rider who disappointed was Romain Bardet.

The Ag2r La Mondiale climber has also called his 2019 season early following his lacklustre GC challenge at the Tour, although he did come away with the consolation prize of the polka dot jersey.

The Frenchman later revealed he had thought about quitting racing altogether following his Tour de France disappointment.

Thibaut Pinot is back on his bike after his heartbreaking Tour de France exit, where he climbed off in tears on stage 19 as looked to be closing in on the GC.

The Frenchman tore his quadricep on stage 17, battling through the pain but eventually giving up 40km into the penultimate mountain stage, which was halted mid-race due to a freak hailstorm and landslide.

>>> This is who the bookies are backing to win the Tour de France 2020

After spending three weeks off the bike to recover, Pinot has now resumed his training and has posted data of his first two rides back on Strava, to the delight of fans. He set out on both rides from his hometown of Mélisey, completing around 60km each time in two hours.

Pinot's first ride was just under 59km, taking him less than two hours with an average speed of 30km/h.

It was a fairly flat ride, with only 531m of elevation, with Pinot hitting a top speed of 58km/h. He rode three loops, which were punctuated with three uphill sections.

His second ride two days later was over a similar distance, again taking around two hours to complete and heading out in an opposite direction from his home.

However, this time Pinot doubled his elevation to over 1,000 metres. Again he completed two loops as he took two second places on downhill segments, approaching speeds of 60km/h. The main climbing in this ride was a longer, flatter effort, as the Frenchman looks to find his form.

Pinot will now have to wait more than nine months for another crack at his home Grand Tour, which he believed he could have won this year. Sitting 20 seconds behind Egan Bernal (Ineos), the Frenchman went on the attack to claw back time after losing minutes in crosswinds earlier in the race.

"I was convinced [I could possibly win the Tour]," the 29-year-old said after abandoning, "but unfortunately now, I will never know."

Team Ineos boss Sir Dave Brailsford said at the time: "He’s been a great contributor to the race and French cycling. You know, I admire, I really like Thibaut Pinot, I always have.

"And like everybody else, I thought for a moment there. We all thought, 'He’s got a great opportunity of becoming the overall winner.'"

Pinot has vowed to return to the Tour de France 2020, where he will likely face stiff competition from defending champion Egan Bernal as well as the likes of Chris Froome (Ineos) and Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) returning from injury.

Thibaut Pinot will spend three weeks off the bike after suffering an injury that dashed his Tour de France hopes.

The Groupama-FDJ rider had been best-placed to topple Team Ineos in the final weekend, having dragged himself back into the general classification fight.

But Frenchman Pinot suffered a tragic injury on stage 17 and was forced to pull out the following day, stepping off the bike in tears.

Groupama-FDJ have confirmed that Pinot suffered a tear in his quadricep and will be forced to rest.

>>> Five unsung heroes of the Tour de France 2019

The team said: “Update on Thibaut Pinot: additional medical tests confirmed a medial vastus muscle injury combined with an inter-fascial bruise. He will resume training in 20 days.”

Pinot was fifth overall heading into the Alps, just 20 seconds behind race winner Egan Bernal (Team Ineos).

He suffered a crash on stage 17 to Gap, suffering a tear to his left thigh that hampered his performance on the following mountain stage.

The injury caused too much pain for him to continue and Pinot pulled out of the race 36km into stage 18, unsurprisingly devastated at having come so close.

After his abandon, he said: “I did all I could.

“I was convinced [that he could possibly win the Tour], but unfortunately now, I will never know.”

Pinot finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France behind Vincenzo Nibali. He had consistently preformed and this year pulled it together for one of his best rides, winning a stage at the summit of the Tourmalet.

>>> ‘Hopefully I can find joy from riding my bike’: Michał Kwiatkowski will skip next race after disappointing Tour de France 

Boss of rivals Team Ineos Sir Dave Brailsford said: “He’s been a great contributor to the race and French cycling. You know, I admire, I really like Thibaut Pinot, I always have.

“And like everybody else, I thought for a moment there. We all thought, ‘He’s got a great opportunity of becoming the overall winner.’

“And it was quite surprising to see him pull over. And I felt really sad, you couldn’t help but watch those images of without being really genuinely upset and sorry for him.”

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) believes he could have won the 2019 Tour de France had it not been for a crash and his abandonment on stage 19.

Pinot sat fifth overall, just 20 seconds behind now race leader Egan Bernal (Ineos). However, on Friday's stage, he felt too much pain in his left thigh to continue and quit at at 36km into the stage.

"I did all I could," the Frenchman said.

>>>  Emotional Egan Bernal fulfils yellow jersey dream on 'strange' day at the Tour de France

"I was convinced [that he could possibly win the Tour], but unfortunately now, I will never know."

Pinot finished third overall in the 2014 Tour de France behind Vincenzo Nibali. He had consistently preformed and this year, pulled it together for one of his best riders.

However, the team revealed that a crash in the 17th stage to Gap caused problems. In a press release, they said: "Thibaut suffers from a muscular lesion on his left thigh. Yesterday, he finished stage 18 with a sharp pain and had troubles walking in the evening."

Pinot added: "I believed I might have had a chance [of continuing], that it would pass. But unfortunately it did not.

"I don't know exactly what the injury is. It started with a little pain after the finish in Nîmes, then it came back yesterday on the last descent."

The French rallied around Pinot as they saw Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) slipping away from the yellow jersey lead. Pinot has a house in Tignes where he lives to train at altitude. He never made there it to the finish to fight because he could not continue and even if he did, the organiser later cancelled the final climb due to heavy rain and a mudslide.

"It will be hard to get over this," Pinot said.

"It is a huge disappointment, clearly," said team boss Marc Madiot. "We have to accept these difficult moments. It is a part of sport."

His star rider had the support of young David Gaudu and had won the Tourmalet stage. It worried their rivals and built confidence in Pinot and Groupama-FDJ.

"I always have confidence in Thibaut Pinot, he is a great rider and always will be," Madiot continued. "He has given so much to the team, to his team-mates, the team staff."

Rival team boss David Brailsford said fans and even the race should nod in appreciation of Pinot's fight.

"He's been a great contributor to the race and French cycling. You know, I admire, I really, really like Thibaut Pinot, I always have," Brailsford said.

"And like everybody else, I thought for a moment there. We all thought, 'He's got a great opportunity of becoming the overall winner.'

"And it was quite surprising to see him pull over. And I felt really sad, you couldn't help but watch those images of without being really genuinely upset and sorry for him."

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) has abandoned the Tour de France 2019, where he sat fifth in the overall classification, 1-50 down on Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step).

The Frenchman went to the medic car early on in stage 19, getting his left leg re-bandaged up just above the knee, before then going back to his team car.

Pinot soon found himself two minutes behind the peloton, and after 35km of racing he was in tears as his deficit increased to four minutes.

His team-mates didn't wait for him when he initially dropped back, hinting that the Frenchman would struggle along for as long as possible before climbing off.

However, Mathieu Ladagnous eventually dropped back and put his arm around an emotional Pinot as he climbed off and got into his team car after just 40km of racing.

The cause of Pinot's abandonment is apparently due to a muscle tear suffered on stage 17 to Gap, after hitting his left thigh against a handlebar.

This injury was still causing him pain on stage 18's ascent of the Galibier, his Groupama-FDJ team have said, finishing with a sharp pain in his leg and struggling to walk in the evening. Although taking the start on stage 19, his condition hadn't improved.

The stage to the summit of Tignes provided the penultimate mountain day in the 2019 Tour, with the final summit finish to Val Thorens on stage 20 the final chance to break Alaphilippe's hold on the yellow jersey before the Champs-Élysées.

Pinot had been riding his best Tour de France in years, having announced himself as one of the strongest riders in the 2019 edition after winning stage 14 at the summit of the Tourmalet.

He followed up this victory with a second place on stage 15, finishing at the summit of Prat d'Albis, where he took further time back on his GC rivals.

Pinot had lost crucial time earlier in the race, finding himself on the wrong side of a peloton split after Alaphilippe and Ineos tore the bunch apart in crosswinds on stage 10.

The 29-year-old has not finished his previous two Tours de France, abandoning the 2016 and 2017 editions, and not taking the start line in last year's race as he struggled to recover from fatigue and pneumonia in time.

He also abandoned the Tour in 2013, a year after his debut at the race where he finished tenth, before securing the third spot on the podium in 2014 behind Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) and Jean-Christophe Péraud.

We will bring you more on this story as it develops...

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) must continue his attacking ways as the 2019 Tour de France transitions to the Alps if he wants to have a chance to overthrow Geraint Thomas (Ineos) for the overall victory.

Pinot is chipping away at the win, gaining 46 seconds to Thomas on Saturday and 49 seconds on Sunday. Now, he sits 1-50 back, having made up the time lost in the crosswind stage to Albi.

>>> Geraint Thomas says ‘bring it on’ to French rivals in final week of Tour de France 2019

"The three stages are beautiful, I know the last two very well," Pinot said of the three consecutive Alpine stages ahead in the final week.

"The hardest, I think, is that of the Galibier [Thursday]. I do not have to choose, it will depend on my legs. If they are good I will go on the attack."

Another Frenchman, Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) leads the overall. Geraint Thomas (Ineos) sits second at 1-35, Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) at 1-47 and with the gains, Pinot moved up two spots to fourth at 1-50. Close behind is Thomas's team-mate Egan Bernal at 2-02 and Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) at 2-14.

Pinot is not worrying about his rivals, but time in the overall. It is music for the ears of fans who love an attacking race.

"I was never afraid of anyone, I wanted to win Saturday, it's done. I thought about the general, yesterday [Sunday] but I did not calculate," he continued.

"I'm here to take time, it's the type of bike riding that I like, to attack without calculating."

Pinot and Alaphilippe mania sweeps France. Every day, L'Equipe newspaper prints two-page spreads celebrating their home riders.

"If the pressure crushed me, I would not be here, I would not have won on the Tourmalet, the big cheers just encourage me, they give me wings," Pinot said.

"It's like in a stadium, we're always stronger when it comes to playing at home, it also helps Julian. We rely on the support of the public to push us as high as possible."

Already, Pinot placed third overall in the 2014 Tour de France. In the Vuelta a España last year, he finished sixth and then won Il Lombardia.

"We'll see on Val Thorens on Saturday, I do not think about that, even though I showed some nice things this weekend," he said of the possibility of winning the overall.

"I'm fourth in the standings, I learned not to get a big head, but just keep racing like I do."

As well as picking up a historic stage win at the summit finish of the Tourmalet, a feature that has now only occurred three times in the Tour de France's history, Thibaut Pinot picked up a second, albeit admittedly less important prize.

The Groupama-FDJ rider stuck with the front group of GC contenders before springing ahead with 250m to go to take the victory on stage 14, announcing that he's down but not out in the fight for the yellow jersey.

>>> Here’s who holds the Strava KoMs on the toughest climbs of the Tour de France 2019

This phenomenal effort saw him take the Strava KoM on the Tourmalet, defending the record he set on the climb at the Tour in 2016. That day Pinot had attacked as part of a breakaway alongside Tony Martin (Jumbo-Visma) and Rafał Majka (Bora-Hansgrohe) until they were eventually reeled in as Chris Froome attacked on the descent to take the stage win and overall race lead.

The Tourmalet is 19km long with an average gradient of seven per cent, reaching an elevation of 2,017m.

Pinot scaled the climb in 51-13 at an average speed of 22.2km/h, eight seconds quicker than Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma) who finished third on the stage, two seconds behind race leader Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step).

In third place is French road race champion Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic), who finished a further 29 seconds back from Kruijswijk after attempting to spring from the leading group halfway up the climb in search of glory.

Two of Kruijswijk's key mountain lieutenants, George Bennett and Laurens De Plus, round out the top five, recording times of 52-13 and 52-31 respectively. Bennett's data also provides power data, showing the New Zealander averaged 329 watts during his effort.

Pinot said after the stage that he considered his victory "revenge" after the "injustice" of losing 1-40 on stage ten in the crosswinds, with Ineos and Alaphilippe forcing the split that caught out a number of GC contenders.

The 29-year-old crossed the line in tears on that day, dropping out of the top 10 on GC. After his heroics on the Tourmalet he rose back up to sixth place, 1-10 down on Geraint Thomas (Ineos) and 3-12 behind Alaphilippe.

The Frenchman appears to be one of if not the strongest climber at the 2019 edition of the Tour, and will be looking to claw back further time with a number of high mountain stages still to come.

Thibaut Pinot was out for revenge on the summit of the Tourmalet after the "injustice" of losing time in crosswinds on stage 10 of the Tour de France.

The French star proved himself the strongest of the overall favourites on stage 14, as he powered away from his rivals 250 metres from the line to take stage victory and gain back some lost time.

But Pinot is still an outsider for the general classification, after he lost 1-40 to most rivals when crosswinds struck during a seemingly innocuous sprint stage on day 10.

>>> Team Ineos will change approach as Geraint Thomas loses time on stage 14 of Tour de France

Speaking after his stage victory, the Groupama-FDJ rider said: “I’ve been angry since the crosswinds. For me it was an injustice to have lost time, something that wasn’t deserved. There was a huge desire for revenge.

“The Tour is only just beginning for me. We’re just getting into the third week and the Alps are still a long way off.”

Despite his phenomenal performance as the Tour de France 2019 ventured into the high mountains for the first time, Pinot still sits sixth overall, 3-12 behind race leader Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step), whose remarkable display saw him extend his lead as he finished second on the Tourmalet.

If Pinot hadn’t lost time in the wind, he would sit 1-32 down on Alaphilippe, in second place overall.

>>> ‘It’s been a long time since they had a real champion in yellow’: What it means for France to have the Tour’s race leader

On his victory atop the iconic mountain, the 29-year-old said: “It’s magnificent, exceptional, magical. Today was the first real mountain stage, the first test. I’ve been thinking about this stage since the start of the Tour. This was one that I really wanted. The Tourmalet is mythical. I’m happy, it’s the kind of racing I love.”

But if Pinot does want to stay in the fight for yellow, he faces the seemingly insurmountable task of toppling Alaphilippe, who gained time in both the hilly Pau time trial and the first real mountain challenge on stage 14.

Pinot added: “Julian was very strong and he’s well set to do something great. He's starting to make everyone afraid. I’m still more than three minutes behind him. I’m going to take it stage by stage and keep a cool head. I’m targeting the podium.”

The 2019 Tour de France is far from over, in fact, if it was half-time in a football match the score would be 1-0 for Team Ineos over Thibaut Pinot's Groupama-FDJ team, says boss Marc Madiot.

The Frenchman, third in the 2014 Tour, and the team spoke on the first rest day. It was 24 hours after stage 10, where he lost 1-40 minutes to Geraint Thomas and others in the crosswinds to Albi.

>>> Six things to look out for in the second week of the 2019 Tour de France

"When I read the newspapers this morning and looking at various cycling websites, I had the impression that were preparing for a burial, but I can assure you that we are very much alive and in good health," Madiot said.

"Cycling is ups and downs. Yesterday we descended more than we climbed. We've done 10 stages, now there are 10 stages left, and those 10 the hardest stages. If we were in a football match, we'd say we were at half-time and the score was 1-0.

"1-0 is not a defeat. It's not the end of the match. We have numerous examples in sport. it's never over."

Pinot had sat on top of the classification battle heading into stage 10, but afterwards, on Tuesday, the first rest day, he sat 1-21 minutes down from Thomas. He and other stars Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo), Jakob Fuglsang (Team Astana), Rigoberto Urán (EF Education First) were split from the front.

"We'd have preferred not to lose 1-40 yesterday but the Tour is never linear, it never works out like how you'd dreamt it. The first week went perfectly, not faults. OK, there was a collective error yesterday and it was expensive. But we have to accept it, that's the law of sport, the race," Madiot continued.

"We're not going to give up. It was a roundabout taken badly and a missed split. Cycling isn't as simple as it seems sometimes. It didn't go as we'd have wanted. Tomorrow on repart au charbon."

It's back to work tomorrow for Pinot and the others who want to try to make up time before the race ends in two weeks in Paris. After a flat stage, which could be ravaged by more crosswinds, the race has a time trial and many mountain passes.

"Yes, I'm confident still," Pinot said.

"There are three big days in a row, there's the time trial, the Tourmalet and the stage to Foix. Those are three stages where a lot can happen. We know the Tourmalet, it's a summit finish, it will hurt."

>>> Make bike maintenance easier with Amazon Prime Day 2019 deals

Besides third overall, Pinot won two stages in the Tour over the years. This summer, he won the Tour de l'Ain and finished fifth in the Critérium du Dauphiné.

"I hope to have the legs that can allow me to take back time. In the Pyrenees and Alps, we'll look to ride aggressively. We've got a team that can do that. We've got climbers who are suited to these mountain stages," Pinot added.

"Ineos is still the best team. But on La Planche des Belles, we had no reason to envy Ineos and that's something that gives us confidence for what's to come. We'll start to see on Thursday and certainly on the Tourmalet on Saturday, where I think they'll try to impose their rhythm, and that's where we'll see if they're as strong as in other years."

Groupama-FDJ promise to fight back in the 2019 Tour de France after Thibaut Pinot lost 1-40 minutes to top rival Geraint Thomas (Ineos).

The Frenchman was on the wrong side when the race split in echelons formed in the crosswinds heading towards Albi, finish host of stage 10.

>>> Movistar left in shock as Mikel Landa crash sends him down Tour de France overall rankings

"We'll get back to work, there are two weeks left and that's a lot," said Pinot's team-mate Matthieu Ladagnous. "Tomorrow we will rest and then talk about it."

Pinot lost time with others including Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo), Jakob Fuglsang (Team Astana) and Rigoberto Urán (EF Education First) when the break happened in the group at 35km to race.

Team Ineos and Deceuninck-Quick-Step drove the peloton and time into their rivals

"It was a tough day. There are times when you don't have luck, we found ourselves a little behind at the wrong time," Ladagnous added.

"We will come back! Losing 1-40 is silly but with all the mountains ahead, it is not that much either!"

Pinot would not speak, just saying, "It was a s****y day" at the finish line.

The Frenchman, third in the 2014 Tour de France, had led the virtual classification ahead of stage 10. He had 19 seconds on Thomas, but 24 hours later, he slid from third to 11th overall at 1-21 minutes behind Thomas.

"It's a bad day," agreed sports director Philippe Mauduit.

"But there are days when you miss out. We messed around a bit when we had to be there. The guys got a little lost and the move happened right then.

"This is not a problem of team cohesion but a moment of panic in the pack. Several favourites were trapped, it's cycling."

Thomas, sitting second, now leads the virtual classification the with four seconds on his team-mate Egan Bernal, 15 on Steven Kruijswijk (Jumbo-Visma), 35 on Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), 52 on Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team). But there are two weeks remaining until the race ends in Paris.

"The story is not written yet, we will know in Paris what this means. The most difficult part of the Tour is left to tackle. We will take the time tomorrow to take stock together," continued Mauduit.

"It is normal that Thibaut is disappointed and upset, but it is not the end of the Tour. Nothing is done, I guarantee you!"

After tomorrow's rest day, the Tour continues with stage 11, a time trial in stage 13 and the big mountains, including the Tourmalet, still to come.

Geraint Thomas singled out Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) for praise after his performance on La Planche de Belles Filles on stage six of the Tour de France.

“I heard he’s from round there, he knew it really well and he timed his effort really well,” Thomas said of the Frenchman, who was third in the 2014 Tour de France.

He was talking after the 230km epic stage seven from Belfort to Chalon-sur-Saône in eastern France, won by Jumbo-Visma’s Dylan Groenewegen.

>>> Five talking points from stage seven of the Tour de France 2019

Team Ineos rider Thomas also praised Pinot’s compatriot and erstwhile maillot jaune Julian Alaphilippe — “he was super strong” — and said the rest of the GC contenders were “there or thereabouts”.

The Welshman refused to be drawn on whether his small time gap over team-mate Bernal was of any significance, batting away the question with “what do you think?”

After toughing out the longest stage of the Tour de France 2019 in nagging cross-headwinds, Thomas said his legs had stood up well following his travails at La Planche des Belles Filles.

“Yeah it was OK,” he said. “It was just a long day in the saddle really with the wind. A long day. Everything was starting to ache by the end wrists and feet and stuff, but I guess it’s better than 230k in full-on crosswinds.”

>>> Puncture in final straight leaves Elia Viviani disappointed in Tour de France sprint

Stage eight from Mâcon to Saint-Etienne in the Massif Central will be another challenging day out for the riders. Not only is it long at 200km, but it also features seven categorised climbs, five of which are cat-two.

“Everyone thinks it’s a breakaway day so there’s gonna be a big fight for that,” predicted Thomas. “It’ll probably still be going by the time we hit the first climb, so it’ll be a hard start for sure.”

On stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia 2019, Marco Haller (Katusha-Alpecin) had just completed the 158km course from Cuneo to Pinerolo and clambered over the first category climb to Montoso, only for a fan to try and rip a bidon out of the Austrian's mouth.

Of course, he exploded. Unleashing a torrent of abuse towards this spectator, and justifiably so. With the pressure endured by professional cyclists, it's little surprise that when things go wrong tempers can fray. In celebration of pros getting a bit hot under the collar, we have put together the best cycling hissy fits.

These videos are similar to our round-up of the best bike throws, but stroppier.

Warning: Videos contain verbal, written and/or gestured swearing

Let's start with Marco Haller's visceral attachment to his bidon

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 7/10

After crossing the finish line, Marco Haller is just minding his own business, probably making his way to the team bus after ticking off another stage of the Giro d'Italia 2019, when a fan reaches out and tries to snatch his bidon.

Haller, clearly attached to his bidon and not appreciating a stranger trying to wrench it out of his mouth, stops his bike and confronts the fan, using some bad language and asking "what is wrong with you?"

A steward then gets in between Haller and the spectator, before the Austrian starts to cycle away and threatens to knock the spectator down. Fight!

Marcel Kittel doesn't like that rear wheel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw1cKD5nAWg

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 9/10

The final stage of the Tour de France is called, by some, the world championships for sprinters. The classifications are wrapped up and most of the peloton enjoys the processional stage into Paris.

But for the quick men, the final finish line on the Champs-Élysées is often the biggest prize of the whole three weeks.

Marcel Kittel had only one stage to his name coming into the final day of the 2016 Tour and had won here before in both 2013 and 2014, so the pressure was high - even if he found it to not be high enough in his tyres...

Unfortunately, a sequence that ended with him lobbing a rear wheel (which bounced and hit a rival team car) showed that perhaps this year the pressure was too much. Kittel chased back on but did not feature in the final sprint.

What preceded the footage shown above was Kittel at first changing bikes and then finding something wrong with the rear wheel on the new bike, which is the one he sent flying.

At least he didn't throw his whole bike this time.

Thibaut Pinot will only ride Thibaut Pinot's bike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-8aTmG3vNk

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 9/10

Pinot was not best pleased when he required a bike change on the cobbled stage at the 2015 Tour, and his team car was nowhere in sight.

Offered a teammate's machine, he made it more than clear that this was not the solution he wanted.

Meanwhile, Tony Martin also suffered a mechanical, gladly accepted his teammate's bike, blew everyone away with a solo break and moved into the yellow jersey at the 2015 Tour de France.

It's this contrast in attitudes that gives Pinot such a high hissometer score.

Don't touch Cadel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FikzgWE3t0A

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 9/10

Happy to have moved into the yellow jersey, and receive the prize lion that comes with the race lead, Cadel Evans did not appreciate someone stroking its mane/tapping him on the shoulder.

Thankfully it wasn't his little dog this time, otherwise he may have reacted even more strongly.

Cav's helmet bears the brunt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro2nDhJ6Wp8

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 8/10

Not really a classic bike throw, more of an annoyed drop, it's Mark Cavendish's helmet that really gets a throwing.

Following a failed attempt at a sprint stage win in the 2010 Tour de France, Cav's frustration boiled over on his return to the team bus.

This incident paled into insignificance when he won the final stage on the Champs-Elysées to take his tally that year to five stages.

Don't nick Robbie's bottle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7O1yMRYSQo

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 8/10

15 years before Haller's bidon-gate episode, Robbie McEwan is rolling back to the team bus after a rain soaked team time trial at the 2004 Tour de France, and was less than happy when some young fans made a dash for his water bottle.

Retrieving the bottle and letting them know what he thinks in no uncertain terms, the Australian sprinter will have left his mark on the people of Arras.

Wiggo clashes with a cameraman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzHmhgjL2pc

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 8/10

Chasing stage winner Peter Sagan, the cameraman had no time to check if the race favourite was within headshot of his swinging camera. Not to worry though, Bradley Wiggins made his presence known.

Warning: explicit verbal and written language on this one

Tommy Voeckler is not happy

https://youtu.be/mgsepZux4kw?t=40s

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 8/10

During his personal best stint of 10 stages in the yellow jersey at the 2011 Tour, Thomas Voeckler buried himself to hold the race lead for as long as he could.

That effort took its toll, as we can see here when he makes his feelings known to his faithful teammates. This isn't a one-off, Tommy V has previous in terms of losing his rag mid-race.

Cavendish: annoyed with the attention of a cameraman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwgksFCBet8

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 7/10

To be fair, I'd be quite irritated if I'd just finished a natural break and someone on a motorbike was pointing a camera at me.

Here we find Cavendish making his feelings about the moto perfectly clear as he chases back on to the peloton at the Tour de France.

A dog is not Gilbert's best friend

Cycling Weekly hissometer score: 6/10

This is not the first time an irresponsible dog owner or inattentive parent has allowed their animal/child to cause havoc at the Tour de France.

This time though, Philippe Gilbert puffed out his chest and stormed over to let the errant pet owner know what he thought of them. It's a bit of an anti-climax.

For those keen to point out riders chucking their bikes around, have a look at our round-up of the best bike throws.

If you've spotted any more cycling hissy fits, let us know.  

Thomas Voeckler has backed his fellow Frenchmen Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) for success at the Tour de France 2019.

"I believe in them for victory, Voeckler said. "If we are not all behind Bardet or Pinot to succeed the Badger [Bernard Hinault], given their respective teams and the course, then we do not believe in anything."

Voeckler was replying to a series of tweets saying Bardet was not a favourite to win the overall classification in this year's Tour de France, and that the diminutive Frenchman was not on the same level as Chris Froome (Ineos) and Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb).

Another Twitter user suggested the French public should stop calling Bardet the favourite for the yellow jersey every year, that way they would avoid being disappointed if the Ag2r La Mondiale rider takes a still impressive podium place.

However, Voeckler reasoned the strength of both of his compatriots' teams as well as the suitability of this year's parcours meant he thought Bardet and Pinot stood just as good a chance of winning the overall classification as anyone else.

France have not had a winner in their home Grand Tour since Bernard Hinault beat his La Vie Claire team-mate Greg LeMond by 1-42 in 1985.

That isn't to say France haven't come close in recent years, with Romain Bardet finishing on the podium twice, coming third in 2017 and second in 2016, with Chris Froome (Ineos) winning both of those editions.

Before that, another Ag2r La Mondiale rider came closest to wearing the yellow jersey on the Champs-Élysées, when Jean-Christophe Péraud finished second, albeit 7-39 adrift of Vincenzo Nibali in 2014.

That year, Thibaut Pinot posted his best Tour performance and only podium appearance to date, finishing third, 8-15 down on the Italian.

Pinot finished sixth in last year's Vuelta a España and fourth in the 2017 Giro d'Italia, but has not completed a Tour de France since his 16th place finish in 2015.

Bardet has registered a top ten performance in every Tour de France since 2014, and is currently the most likely Frenchman, with odds of 40/1, to return a first home victory in 34 years this July.

Thomas Voeckler achieved one top five Tour de France GC finish in his career, finishing fourth in 2011, 3-20 behind Cadel Evans, with Andy and Frank Schleck taking up the other podium places. Voeckler did however wear the yellow jersey for a total of 19 days throughout his career, won four individual stages, and claimed the polka dot jersey in 2012.

Thibaut Pinot claims biggest win of his career to date

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) made the most of his career-best form to win the 2018 Il Lombardia, his most prestigious to date.

The Frenchman's career has been one of considerable ups and downs.

For every spectacular performance, like his breakthrough stage victory as a 22-year old at the 2012 Tour de France, and finishing on the podium two years later, there have been disheartening lows, as in 2013 when he lost all confidence in his descending, and during the first week of the 2015 Tour de France when his promising form was laid to waste by a series of crashes and mechanicals.

This season has been a bit like a microcosm of his career, with the low of capitulating and losing a podium spot at the Giro on the very last day being followed by the glory of two Vuelta a España stage wins, and now a stunning week in the autumnal Italian classics rounded off by the biggest win of them all.

Pinot may never become the Tour de France champion French fans have long hoped for, but today’s result means he will always be a Monument winner, and reinforces the notion that perhaps races on Italian roads and tough one-day Classics are where his true potential lies.

Nibali gives spirited defence of title

For the first time since fracturing his vertebrae at the Tour de France, Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) looked like his old self again.

He was the only rider capable of consistently matching Pinot when he made his blistering accelerations on the Muro di Sormano and Civiglio, and only lost contact with him in the final few metres of the latter.

As the finish neared, it seemed as though Nibali would be denied a podium finish despite having spent so much of the day looking so strong out off the front of the race, as a chasing group bore down on him.

But, miraculously - and perhaps aided by superb assistance from his Bahrain-Merida team, who frustrated the rest of the group by having Ion Izagirre and Domenico Pozzovivo mark every move - Nibali somehow managed to slip away again moments after being caught, and held on for second place.

It was a typically exciting performance by the Italian, and proof that he is still the rider he was pre-injury.

The Muro di Sormano shapes the race

Unusually for a one-day Classic, it was the race’s third-to-last climb, the Muro di Sormano, that shaped how the race unfolded.

It was here where Pinot first attacked, taking Nibali with him, and the two crested the top together having fully committed to the move.

Primož Roglič (LottoNL-Jumbo) quickly caught them on the following descent, having instigated the action on the Muro with an attack near the bottom of the climb, and a sensational descent from Egan Bernal (Team Sky) swelled the group to a mouth-wateringly strong quartet.

From that moment it was clear the chasers had a huge task on their hands to bring them back, and indeed they were unable to make any significant inroads, despite a full-hearted turn at the front from EF Education First-Drapac’s Daniel Martinez, and, later, attacks from the likes of Dan Martin (UAE Emirates) and Rigoberto Urán (EF Education First-Drapac).

The Muro shaped the course of the race, but it was the Civiglio where its denouement took place, as first Roglič and then Bernal were dropped, and finally, having worn him down with multiple accelerations, Pinot took one last prolonged look at Nibali, and at last cracked him.

A perfect parcours

For the last few years Il Lombardia has been reliably one of the best races of the season, thanks to a perfectly designed parcours that encourages exciting, attacking racing.

The key lies in the positioning of its climbs. The race’s hardest climb, the Muro di Sormano, is far enough away from the finish to leave plenty of racing left after it is crested, but not too far away for its impact to be nullified.

That the climbs that follow it - the Civiglio and, this year, the Monte Olimpino - are of declining difficulty means that riders are prompted to make their attacks earlier, as we saw with Pinot, Nibali and Roglič on the Muro, while the most picturesque and traditional climb, the Madonna del Ghisallo, is given a worthy, prominent place just before it, close enough to the business end of the race not to be a mere procession.

Other hilly classics that have produced relatively dull races in recent years - most notably Liège-Bastogne-Liège - could learn a thing or two from this route, and recognise the benefits of eschewing overly-difficult climbs too close to the finish line.

Big favourites flops

Much was expected of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) given his recent Worlds triumph and how strong he continued to look at Milano-Torino earlier in the week, but the Spaniard was unusually short of his best form, riding a withdrawn race and being dropped on the Civiglio, before ultimately finishing eleventh in a group behind the main chasers.

His day was however a lot better than another pre-race favourite, Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale). His chances unravelled as early as the Muro di Sormano was he dropped out of the back of the peloton, and he only narrowly missed out on a worse fate when a crash sustained after touching a fan’s errant camera strap was fortunately only benign.

A puncture sustained by Gianni Moscon (Team Sky) was the last we saw of him in the race, while Michael Woods (EF Education First- Drapac) was, like Valverde, dropped on the Civiglio.

His teammate Urán fared better by sprinting to fourth in the leading group of chasers, behind Dylan Teuns (BMC), who lands a first ever monument podium.