Thibaut Pinot

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Thibaut Pinot wins stage twenty of the 2015 Tour de France

Nationality: French

Date of birth: May 29, 1990

Height: 180cm

Weight: 63kg

Team: Equipe FDJ

Twitter: @ThibautPinot

French cyclist Thibaut Pinot has a selection of Young Rider Classification titles to his name - as well as some impressive results at the Tour de France.

Pinot has already claimed a podium at the Tour de France, with third overall in 2014 and two stage wins in 2012 and 2015.

The young rider abandoned the Tour de France in 2013, but made up for it with a seventh place in the Vuelta a España. The next year he took home the white young rider jersey at the Tour de France.

More wins were collected in 2015, with a series of queen stage and summit finishes. First was the queen stage of the Tour de Romandie - where Pinot finished fourth overall. Then the hilliest day of the Tour de Suisse, followed by  stage 20 of the Tour de France, with its Alpe d'hues finish.

The 2016 edition of the iconic French grand tour was less successful for Pinot, who withdrew before the end of stage 13, suffering from bronchitis - though during his time at the race he did manage to finish in the polka dot climber's jersey three times.

The bout of bronchitis prevented Pinot from taking his place at the 2016 Olympic Games - and he finished his season soon after in order to rest up and prepare for the coming 2017 season.

The rest appeared to serve him well, and he won the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps, taking second overall, as well as third overall at Tirreno-Adreiatico.

For 2017, he aimed to replicate some of that success in Italy, at the Giro d'Italia - a race he entered with bolstered confidence following a second place on GC at the Tour of the Alps. By the final stage, he found himself just one step off the podium on general classification, in fourth place, also winning stage 20.

He did one better in 2018, winning the overall at the Tour of the Alps. He also seemed to have claimed a podium spot in the Giro, before a monumental collapse on stage 20, eventually losing 45 minutes on the stage winner Mikel Nieve. Clearly more serious than a loss of form, he was hospitalised for dehydration and fever. He withdrew from the race and eventually also withdrew from the upcoming Tour de France. After a long recovery, he refocused on the Giro where he targeted the GC. In a style that has repeated for several years, the Frenchman lost time early on, before clawing back through the rankings and taking stage wins along the way. He claimed victory in stage 15 & 19, eventually finishing a respectable 6th overall.

Clearly on form, he followed the Giro with wins at Milano-Torino and Il Lombardia. The monument win represents the biggest non-Grand Tour win of his career.

The 2019 edition of the TdF was a promising one for Pinot. By stage 18 he was sitting in 5th and clearly had good legs. However, a freak accident led to a torn quadriceps and he was forced to abandon during stage 19.

Thibaut Pinot holding a sheep cuddly toy
Tweets of the week: Thibaut Pinot throws croissants in a lake, Lizzie Deignan gets an MBE, and Yves Lampaert builds a tractor

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