Also, this stage was for Thibaut Pinot the most anticipated one in Tirreno-Adriatico, since it could allow him and the team to know more about the evolution of his physical condition. His ranking (34th at 4’58) enabled his sports director Sébastien Joly to take stock of the situation. “There was no miracle,” he said, “but we could expect it. We figured he was going to be in this range, between 30th and 40th place. He’s where we expected him to be. It follows logically with the Classic de l’Ardèche and the Trofeo Laigueglia. Thibaut manages to make efforts, but comes a time when he needs to recover a little before getting back to his pace. His level is stable. It’s not disastrous, but it’s obviously not going the way he would like.”