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Agence France-Presse

The main hope of a home Tour de France win in 35 years Thibaut Pinot said on Saturday he had arrived at a “turning point” in his career after a dramatic stage eight meltdown in which he lost 15 minutes.
A brooding and emotional man with a tattoo reading “only victory is beautiful” on his arm Pinot has pulled out of the race four times in his six previous attempts, but the French public love him.
“My back hurts so much I can hardly pedal,” said Pinot, who fell and was run over on Nice’s Promenade des Anglais in the rain-lashed and crash-marred first stage.
“It was a really hard day for me. I’m so sorry for my teammates and for the fans because I have failed so many times. This might be a turning point in my career,” he added after the first major mountain slog of the 2020 Tour as the race hit the Pyrenees.
Favourites biding their time after tough year, says technical director
Pinot, originally from Burgundy, leads Groupama-FDJ and quit last year’s Tour in tears.
“I always said cycling was for pleasure, to win races, and there have been too many failures,” he said.


“I’m speaking in the heat of the moment, the Tour goes on, the team is strong and I hope one of the lads goes on to get a stage win,” he added, without saying whether he planned to ride on.
France national team coach Thomas Voeckler said Pinot’s hopes of wearing the yellow jersey at the end of the month were over.
‘Stupid’ to ignore opening stage truce, says Ineos rider Luke Rowe
“I’m disappointed for him, a year’s work gone up in smoke. He won’t win the Tour de France and it’s not because of his form,” he said.
His team boss Marc Madiot, known to celebrate Pinot’s wins wildly, was also a forlorn figure.
“The cat is out of the bag now, we were trying to keep it quiet and cover it up,” he said of Pinot’s painful back.
Pinot is enthralling to watch as he by turns smashes water bottles into the ground or weeps inconsolably in defeat.
Ahead of the Tour, Pinot was in fighting mood as he faced the daunting task of delivering a first home Tour de France win since Bernard Hinault 35 years ago.
Belief in him had run high in 2019 during a roller-coaster ride that began with flair and ended in tears and a mystery injury, but the charismatic climber returned for 2020 in hot form.

He believed he was better prepared this year for the pressure of carrying his nation’s hopes because of the cooler weather, the distance he learned while his parents had Covid-19, and the multiple mountains on this year’s course that he knows well.
The climber with his flashing smile also grew up where stage 20 will be held this year, the ever-popular Planche des Belles Filles.
“I’m no longer afraid of the Tour as I once was,” he said.
“All that pressure was in my mind, it wasn’t the media or the people of France, it was me.”
“There will be more failures before I’m through, but like the Tour, I’m ready for that now,” he said.
Despite his failures, he is a French exception in that fans seem to like him more than his countryman, the tough former soldier Julian Alaphilippe, who led the Tour for 14 stages last year.


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Tour de France

Tour de France: French hero Thibaut Pinot describes meltdown as career ‘turning point’

Thibaut Pinot of Team Groupama-FDJ sits on the ground after a crash during the first stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France. Photo: AFP

Overall standings. Image: letour.fr

Tour de France: Wout Van Aert beats wind to pick up second stage win

Belgian cyclist Wout Van Aert of Team Jumbo-Visma celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the seventh stage of the Tour de France. Photo: DPA

Tour de France: favourites biding their time after tough year, says technical director

The peloton taking it easy during the Tour de France’s sixth stage from Le Teil to Mont Aigoual in France. Photo: Reuters

epa08640255 Belgian rider Wout Van Aert (C) of Team Jumbo-Visma in action during the 4th stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France cycling race over 160.5km from Sisteron to Orcieres-Merlette, France, 01 September 2020. EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

02 September 2020, France, Privas: British cyclist Adam Yates of team Mitchelton - scott celebrates on the podium in the yellow of overall leader after the 5th stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 185 km from Gap to Privas. Photo: -/belga/dpa

epa08639983 Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic of Jumbo-Visma team celebrates winning the 4th stage of the Tour de France over 160.5km from Sisteron to Orcieres-Merlette, France, 01 September 2020. EPA-EFE/Christophe Ena / Pool

Tour de France: Adam Yates takes unwanted yellow jersey as Julian Alaphilippe pays water penalty

British cyclist Adam Yates of team Mitchelton-Scott celebrates on the podium in the yellow of overall leader after the 5th stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France. Photo: DPA

Stage five rankings. Image: letour.fr

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Thibaut Pinot has pulled out of the race four times in his six previous attempts, but the French public love him



Thibaut Pinot has pulled out of the race four times in his six previous attempts, but the French public love him.
