Teams & Riders Thibaut Pinot discussion thread

[May0maniac]

Re:

Honestly I expect him to win the Tour of the Alps!

I don't know, there isn't a really big MTF and a decent amount of descents.

 

[Tonton]

Re: Re:

Honestly I expect him to win the Tour of the Alps!

I don't know, there isn't a really big MTF and a decent amount of descents.

Good points, but after today's good showing, I feel that Thibaut is sharp, still a diesel, but recently he has been a little more explosive it seems. He can win the Tour of the Giro della Rundfahrt di Whatever.

Big final 500m today, and yes he fell short of winning the whole thing, but I liked his attitude. Descents are fine if his mind is in the right place. I feel that Thibaut Pinot is building up for something special...

 

[yaco]

I expect a podium in the Giro - His diesel climbing style should suit the Italian mountains - He should do OK in the ITT.

 

[Alpe-Thibaut]

Frankly speaking,not a very good day for him.I wonder why Steve and Jeremy be droped so early??His bad position makes him can't do more when face Thomas's attack

 

[StryderHells]

Re:

I expect a podium in the Giro - His diesel climbing style should suit the Italian mountains - He should do OK in the ITT.

Anything less than a podium would be a massive disappointment, unless he has one of his "bad" days and chucks a tantrum he should be right up in the mix.

 

[manolo57]

I think Thomas was stronger than him, but he played it bad tactically. He should be in the wheel when GT attacks.
Nevertheless, all is not lost. The 2 last stages offer possibilities to be offensive.

 

[hazaran]

Pinot really needs to work on his racing craft, on that short uphill finish he doesn't take the short line and instead sprints in the middle, then today he's leading out the sprint.. two missed stage wins for nothing.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Pinot really needs to work on his racing craft, on that short uphill finish he doesn't take the short line and instead sprints in the middle, then today he's leading out the sprint.. two missed stage wins for nothing.

I would respectfully disagree as a whole with you my friend. Your post by the way reminds me of many about Peter Sagan . In retrospect, it's easy for us to dissect: in the heat of the moment, it's a different story.

Thibaut didn't see Dennis taking the inside in the left bend until it was too late.

Today? Montaguti's post race interview (Eurosport);

"Today was a win that was somewhat unexpected,” he continued. “The team had asked me to do the sprint but just to take the bonus seconds away from Thibaut Pinot who was just behind Domenico.”

Montaguti also gave credit to the very man he was ordered to take time from for being a “fair player” in the finish.

“I went to Pinot after the stage to say thank you and congratulate him on second place since I had to pass him on the right and almost made him crash, but it was the only channel I could take,” admitted Montaguti. “When I tried to pass on the right and he didn’t close me, I give even more and understood that no one could come back from the left since it was slightly more windy on that side while I was more sheltered.

"In the end, I understand that if Thibaut went out to slam the door I would have braked and would have lost this race, so it was really great fair play on his side."

So I don't completely disagree with you. I would say that it's his acceleration on stage 3 that got countered by Thomas that really hurt. Not the sprints for bonuses. Actually those are good. Pinot has some speed too.

He's not the same rider as he was. Top-10 at the Strade, rubbing tires when it matters, four stages and four top-5s, as his fanboy, I feel pretty good .

 

[movingtarget]

Pinot didn't need a crash at this time of the year and did a good job to stay upright.

 

[Tonton]

Re:

Pinot didn't need a crash at this time of the year and did a good job to stay upright.

But still: second place is not good .

My invite to LaFlo still stands . There's room in Thibaut's bandwagon, she gets first class .

 

[jaylew]

I'm not sure what it is but something seems a bit different with Pinot this year...

 

[lenric]

Re:

I'm not sure what it is but something seems a bit different with Pinot this year...

Not as pressured as in the past to perform, since this year he'll ride the Giro and not the Tour (for the GC, at least).
Also, that means he won't have to deal with another edition of the yearly french debate about him vs Bardet.

 

[HelloDolly]

TiboPino will do very well at the Giro.... A podium is my prediction...

 

[Netserk]

A podium is likely, but it will be difficult with Quintana, Nibali and Landa.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

TiboPino will do very well at the Giro.... A podium is my prediction...

I'd be happy if he won it, despite 3 dutch gt contenders. I stil hooe one of them ofcourse, but it will likely be Quintana anyways.
Unless nibali puts his spell on Quintana.

 

[May0maniac]

His sprint has really improved a lot. He always had a decent one for a gt contender, but now he seems to be way faster than before.
Maybe he'll pull a reverse Jalabert in 1-2 years.

 

[Mr.White]

He is developing in some kind of Valverde, it seems Didn't know he can sprint that well, it will earn him couple of wins, that's certain. As for the bigger picture he looks very good for Il Giro, nevermind he didn't won the GC. He made that one mistake, but it's a short race every mistake costs. Giro is a totally different beast, there will be plenty of opportunities for him. Most importantly, his climbing looks fine, his TT should be ok, and with his "new skills" he might grab couple of seconds here and there.

 

[fauniera]

Re:

A podium is likely, but it will be difficult with Quintana, Nibali and Landa.

I think he will beat Nibali. Nairo seems to take the Giro as a prep race and you never know what Landa will do. Pinot can win this Giro.

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

A podium is likely, but it will be difficult with Quintana, Nibali and Landa.

I think he will beat Nibali. Nairo seems to take the Giro as a prep race and you never know what Landa will do. Pinot can win this Giro.

Yes, much like Rolland, for example. Very unlikely though.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Fortunately, Pinot will start the Giro as an outsider.

I always find him underwhelming when he starts as a favorite, just like Wednesday when he was in the lead. The way he lost the 2015 Critérium International to Péraud and AG2R... He'll have to improve that.

Anyway, this was a good week for Thibaut. He is a great climber since day one, he's now becoming a better rider.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I find Pinot to be one of the strangest riders of the peloton. A bit like Hesjedal (bad comparison overall), I feel like I never really can trust the guy to deliver as I always have the feeling he might crack big time or have a pretty bad day.

 

[Tonton]

I will not hide my pleasure to see a happy, relaxed Thibaut, having fun racing his bike. Needless to say, my hopes are high for Il Giro. His post-Trentino interview on the FDJ site is very telling: Tibopino is at peace, far from the French media circus, discovering new races, and having fun doing it. But there's also a killer side of him that transpires: he took yesterday's loss not well at all, studied today's finish, seeking his revenge.

Happy .

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

I find Pinot to be one of the strangest riders of the peloton. A bit like Hesjedal (bad comparison overall), I feel like I never really can trust the guy to deliver as I always have the feeling he might crack big time or have a pretty bad day.

Yeah he can be hit and miss but not miss and miss like TJVG. The Giro is shaping up to be an interesting race. He and Thomas look like they are going into the Giro with decent form but over three weeks I think I would be going for Pinot over Thomas at this stage not to say that Thomas can't ride a strong three weeks. I think Quintana should win.

 

[Rollthedice]

He has all it takes to compete for the podium, form, decent experience in Italy, good in adverse weather conditions, better TTer than better climbers than him, good in classics type of stages, good team and lately sprinting abilities. What he lacks is risky fast descending and consistency during three weeks, nevertheless I see him as the main favorite for the third place. If Nibali is not in a declining phase of his career, he will battle with Quintana for 1-2.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

I find Pinot to be one of the strangest riders of the peloton. A bit like Hesjedal (bad comparison overall), I feel like I never really can trust the guy to deliver as I always have the feeling he might crack big time or have a pretty bad day.

Well then...It would be cool if this is the year he wins the Giro.