TIBOPINO - GIRO 2017 RECAP
Thibaut himself stated his objectives: a podium and a stage. If he fell short of his first goal with a 4th place finish, Tibopino's time difference to the GC winner (1'17") is the smallest achieved by a French rider since Jalabert won the '95 Vuelta. Pinot did win a stage; and he did it with panache, defending, attacking, and ultimately dominating the opposition.
For pundits and casual fans, there were question-marks leading up to the Giro: despite big successes in one-week races, a podium in Lombardy, a brilliant ride at La Strade Bianche, was the '14 TdF a fluke? His podium (beating Valverde, TJVG, and Bardet) was overshadowed, in the minds of many, by the abandons of Froome, Quintana, and Contador. Was he a true GT contender? Could he be competitive for three weeks? Would he fold when the going gets tough? How about his descending skills?
The Good: Thibaut showed great fighting spirit, overcame adversity by limiting his losses when he had bad days, he refused to go away. Tibopino never gave up the fight. Overall he showed consistency over three weeks. He was very smart, timing perfectly his attacks. Add to this wonderful climbing and excellent sprinting.
The Bad: Pinot has not performed well against the clock. That's why he didn't get the podium. As Valv.Piti put it, the disaster on stage 16 enabled Thibaut to get some rope and he took advantage of it, regaining a minute on stage 18. But that was an obvious disappointment.
The Ugly: rest day management. At the Montefalco ITT, Reichenbach and Ludvigsson finished 94th and 98th. Tibopino lost 2'42" to Dumourain. On the Stelvio stage, only Pinot and Seb were within 30 minutes of the stage winner. That's a big time team failure.
As a conclusion, for me who began the Thibaut Pinot thread, fanboy and proud of it, it was a validation: what I knew all along, following Tibopino for years. I knew he had it in him, and he can do even better. It wasn't the greatest Pinot. But I won't bother with "what ifs". I'm very happy. A lot of knowledgeable members on this forum have given Il Grandissimo his props, including portugal11, and that's no small feat

. Hats of to you portugal11: you're good sport.
This is only the beginning folks, Il Cappo di Tutti Coppi (like Fausto) hasn't even turned 27. Watch out.
More Rioja wine tonight. A reserva from Remirez de Ganuza...life is beautiful

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