Returning to competition at the Tour of Slovakia, Thibaut Pinot wanted to perfect his preparation for the Tour of Lombardy on the roads of the Tour of Luxembourg. But once again, nothing went as planned for the Groupama-FDJ climber. In fact, he gave up in the first stage.
Certainly, Thibaut Pinot has not been varnished since Tour de France. Once the euphoria of Big loop passed, the Franc-comtois had aligned himself with the Tour of Poitou-Charentes before giving up in the second stage following a fall caused by a mechanical problem. He made his return to competition on the Tour of Slovakia and intended to continue with the Tour du Luxembourg. But he was unable to complete the first stage due to a new physical problem.
Cycling: Proof that Alaphilippe still has high ambitions! https://t.co/US3kMQmV8A pic.twitter.com/UtXvMitOiz
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Pinot gives up on the 1st stage
Thibaut Pinot competes in his last races in the professional peloton. And while he wanted to get on his feet before the Tower of Lombardyhe had checked the Tour du Luxembourg who had an argument last week. Weakened, the runner of the Groupama-FDJ threw in the towel in the first stage just like his teammate David Gaudu. « Thibaut then David abandoned the Tour de Luxembourg in quick succession. They both arrived from Slovakia and wanted to do the two events together to give themselves the best possible end to the season. Thibaut did 3 hours of cycling yesterday, he felt pretty good but this morning he immediately warned us that things weren’t going well. He complained of digestive problems. We knew the day wasn’t going to be easy but we hoped it could pass. Unfortunately he had no choice but to give up. We all know that the end of Thibaut’s career is near. The goal will be for him to recover, the races in Italy are coming up very quickly. David, for his part, is having a difficult month of August. He suffered a covid episode, food poisoning and a fall in training. He hung on last week in Slovakia to return to competition. On the bike, you can’t hide. It’s an unforgiving sport. It’s a bad day for the team », explained their sports director Thierry Bricaud. From now on, Pinot is focused on its ultimate goal.
Last dance in Lombardy for Pinot
The Tour of Lombardy is the race of choice of Thibaut Pinot. The Frenchman already won this monument in 2018 and he hopes to do it again this year. The emotional factor will be important since it will be the last race of his wonderful career. Hoping that this premature abandonment on the Tour du Luxembourg Don’t bring down his morale.
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