Teams & Riders Thibaut Pinot discussion thread

[yaco]

Re:

Thibaut Pinot said he will do the Giro in 2017.
http://www.cyclingpro.net/velopro/road/tete-d-affiche-thibaut-pinot-axer-mon-travail-sur-le-chrono (in french)

This is great news - French riders/teams have to play the long game - Get success in the Giro/Vuelta and then target the TDF.

 

[Tonton]

Check him out on Strava, not messing around, and with a multi-national following. BTW, there's no data missing with Thibaut Pinot, it's all in the open. Go Thibaut!

I'm glad I don't live where he does...I'd never (and prob most other people) hold the lead in any Strava segments he has done.

You look quite good on a bike IMO. I live pretty close to where YOU live. In the spring, I'll give a shot at that climb in PA .

 

[Jspear]

Check him out on Strava, not messing around, and with a multi-national following. BTW, there's no data missing with Thibaut Pinot, it's all in the open. Go Thibaut!

I'm glad I don't live where he does...I'd never (and prob most other people) hold the lead in any Strava segments he has done.

you can crush some downhill segments

Lol....true.

 

[Tonton]

417 KOM on Strava for 2015. Bravo Thibaut! Hopefully one of the KOM for 2016 will come with a jersey .

 

[Tonton]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pinot-open-to-offers-when-fdj-contract-expires

Unless Demare finally delivers and new talent emerges (?), FDJ will have no choice but do what Thibaut says (i.e Giro-Vuelta). He needs a stronger team: can FDJ, with a bigger budget, give him enough support? Losing 2-3 minutes at every TTT is not good. Not being able to be at the front of the race is not good. Et caetera...

Maybe the question is: what team would be interested in Thibaut Pinot? I can imagine a few, and I don't like the idea of him with Sky or come-back Bjarne...

 

[May0maniac]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pinot-open-to-offers-when-fdj-contract-expires

Unless Demare finally delivers and new talent emerges (?), FDJ will have no choice but do what Thibaut says (i.e Giro-Vuelta). He needs a stronger team: can FDJ, with a bigger budget, give him enough support? Losing 2-3 minutes at every TTT is not good. Not being able to be at the front of the race is not good. Et caetera...

Maybe the question is: what team would be interested in Thibaut Pinot? I can imagine a few, and I don't like the idea of him with Sky or come-back Bjarne...

Reichenbach should be a great superdomestique/back-up plan, so he should have better support in the mountains.
Of course it would be even better if they'd also send a fresh Geniez and a fresh Elissonde to the Tour to help him...

 

[staubsauger]

One could imagine Trek throws some cash at Pinot if Nibali goes to Lampre. But if I was Thibaut I would stay at FDJ instead.

Sky seems to be full with Froome and Landa. Zero space for Pinot!

 

[yaco]

Well if Pinot is driven by winning he will move to a non-French team that would set him for the Giro or Vuelta - He needs to be more pragmatic.

 

[IndianCyclist]

His brother is his coach. So probably does not want to move out of france

 

[Alexandre B.]

Almost a perfect start.
But promising.

 

[Tonton]

Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but something tells me that '16 will be a great year for Thibaut. Not a bad start...

 

[Valv.Piti]

Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but something tells me that '16 will be a great year for Thibaut. Not a bad start...

That's what everyone says at this point about their favorite riders/teams, it's the most positive time of the year! Some will be severely disappointed. But the queen stages of Romandie, Suisse and Tour is pretty *** impressive, lets hope he can build on that, altho I must admit I am more of a Bardet-guy (everyone had to chose somewhat in 2014, didnt they)

 

[Tonton]

Very true: "it's the most wonderful time of the year". I can't help but note that he (and Devenyns) broke away in the descent of the Col des Cretes . And his sprint, although not a vintage Abdou, wasn't too shabby either. I believe, I believe, I believe .

 

[yaco]

Confident that Pinot can win a quality one week stage race this year.

 

[Tonton]

Another strong showing for Thibaut, second behind Coppel on the final stage of l'Etoile de Besseges (ITT), confirming his improvement against the clock, beating JCP by 2 seconds and finishing 17 seconds ahead of Chavanel. And a 3rd place/podium on the final GC.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Great performance by Pinot today. He's gonna have a monster season I think. It's gonna be fun watching Aru, Quintana and Pinot - all from 1990 - go against each other at the Tour.

 

[Tonton]

FYI, an article written by Clément Guillou and published in Le Monde back in January. Some interesting pieces of info.

http://www.lemonde.fr/cyclisme/article/2016/01/02/ils-feront-2016-julien-pinot-le-grand-frere_4840878_1616656.html

1. Julien Pinot doing research aiming at increasing Thibaut's resistance to heat.

Cet hiver, il s’est documenté sur la tolérance à la chaleur, que Thibaut Pinot supporte mal, un vrai point faible quand l’objectif majeur de la saison est invariablement placé au mois de juillet.

2. Thibaut wants to stay with FDJ, doesn't care about a raise, but he wants the budget to increase so the team can be stronger and better support him.

Des contacts ont été pris ailleurs, mais « le choix numéro un » reste la FDJ. Ce ne sera pas une question d’argent, assure le grand frère, mais il faudra que le budget augmente « pour lui permettre d’avoir une équipe encore plus solide à ses côtés.

3. According to this article, the Pinot brothers proposed the upcoming French Championship course. I'm surprised, and if I were Bardet or another top-French rider, I wouldn't be happy about having the race on a course designed by Pinot, in Pinot's backyard (i.e. where he trains everyday). Weird.

Ensuite, il sera temps pour les deux hommes de cocher les objectifs qu’ils se sont fixés lors d’un programme estival gargantuesque : les championnats de France à Vesoul sur un circuit qu’ils ont proposé, les Jeux olympiques – course en ligne et contre-la-montre – et le Tour de France, dont le parcours « lui correspond mieux que la saison dernière, avec moins de pièges

Less tricky of a TdF course in '16 vs. '15, as it concludes. On the paper, yes. But somehow, every year sh#t happens to some of the favorites...

 

[Alexandre B.]

Last year he was mostly bottom of top 20 and now he's 12.

I don't know what to expect Sunday on Malhao. He doesn't like that type of climb so much.

 

[Simurgh]

Good race he has ridden in Portugal. Just a handful of seconds after Contador (in GC). Every day we get closer to the Tour, the more I get excited for what Thibaut can do! He has IMO always been in second tier (1st tier being the Big 4), but that gap may be closing bit by bit. It seems that Pinot and Aru are almost at the same level, so a top 5 in le Tour isn't a certainty..well, we'll see!

 

[portugal11]

Re:

Good race he has ridden in Portugal. Just a handful of seconds after Contador (in GC). Every day we get closer to the Tour, the more I get excited for what Thibaut can do! He has IMO always been in second tier (1st tier being the Big 4), but that gap may be closing bit by bit. It seems that Pinot and Aru are almost at the same level, so a top 5 in le Tour isn't a certainty..well, we'll see!

Juat a big lol... aru and pinot in the same level???

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Good race he has ridden in Portugal. Just a handful of seconds after Contador (in GC). Every day we get closer to the Tour, the more I get excited for what Thibaut can do! He has IMO always been in second tier (1st tier being the Big 4), but that gap may be closing bit by bit. It seems that Pinot and Aru are almost at the same level, so a top 5 in le Tour isn't a certainty..well, we'll see!

Agree. Now, I didn't like Aru throwing the elbow to save his second place today. I wish we could have watched the last climb: knowing Thibaut the diesel, in such a short climb, must have had a lot of riders ahead of him before getting into his rhythm. He finished strong. Overall, a pretty good week. And from a team standpoint, Demare got a win last week, Vichot won today, FDJ won an TTT, the team was in front at the Volta today, all good signs for '16.

 

[Cannibal72]

Re: Re:

Good race he has ridden in Portugal. Just a handful of seconds after Contador (in GC). Every day we get closer to the Tour, the more I get excited for what Thibaut can do! He has IMO always been in second tier (1st tier being the Big 4), but that gap may be closing bit by bit. It seems that Pinot and Aru are almost at the same level, so a top 5 in le Tour isn't a certainty..well, we'll see!

Juat a big lol... aru and pinot in the same level???

Is there anything so ridiculous about that? Before last season, no one would have been surprised about that statement, at all (I assume you're suggesting Aru's the better one of the two) - third place at the Tour beats third place at the Giro, after all. Aru also has a much stronger team.

 

[carolina]

I really like pinot, it's just a shame that his descending skills suck and he struggles to handle the pressure.

Actually, it's a shame that he's french. Giro-Vuelta would be better for him this year.

 

[portugal11]

Re: Re:

Good race he has ridden in Portugal. Just a handful of seconds after Contador (in GC). Every day we get closer to the Tour, the more I get excited for what Thibaut can do! He has IMO always been in second tier (1st tier being the Big 4), but that gap may be closing bit by bit. It seems that Pinot and Aru are almost at the same level, so a top 5 in le Tour isn't a certainty..well, we'll see!

Juat a big lol... aru and pinot in the same level???

Is there anything so ridiculous about that? Before last season, no one would have been surprised about that statement, at all (I assume you're suggesting Aru's the better one of the two) - third place at the Tour beats third place at the Giro, after all. Aru also has a much stronger team.

Third place in tour only because the competition was very weak. Last year, he wasn't top 10 and finish almost half an hour to froome. Aru is wat more consistent and he is a gt winner. Pinot will never be a gt winner

 

[Simurgh]

Re:

I really like pinot, it's just a shame that his descending skills suck and he struggles to handle the pressure.

Actually, it's a shame that he's french. Giro-Vuelta would be better for him this year.

I think that he stated his desire to ride the Giro next year (about some time ago he did that), so we will see him battle for GT victory, especially if the weather is cold as he likes it.