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Teams & Riders Thibaut Pinot discussion thread

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Aru's last win was a TdF stage becoming top favourite of that race. The situation is exactly the same, he is just further up the trajectory.

Who is further up the trajectory? We have no way of knowing that Pinot's issues will drag on for as long as Aru's have.
It also seemed that, at least towards the end of his stint with UAE, one of Aru's issues was that he was more or less in conflict with the upper management on the team, which I'm pretty sure Pinot isn't. In conflict with the upper management on FDJ, not UAE.
 
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He should have left that team ages ago.
It's not necessarily the team but I know nothing about their dynamic. His issue may be the syndromic back issue that can afflict any rider that has a position that sets it off. These guys aren't downhill ski racers or gymnasts that balance their bodies to impact and strain; they're praying mantises on bikes using as little upper body effort as possible. The problem is, once your back has an issue near the sacrum and hinge point of power.... you are fu*ked until you sit down and rebuild. That will include new positioning and conditioning. It's doubtful Pinot has taken the time and patience to do that. He may have both financial and personal (his own mindset) pressures to not give himself the necessary time. If he doesn't; his career is done.
 
Aru's last win was a TdF stage becoming top favourite of that race. The situation is exactly the same, he is just further up the trajectory.

No it's not the same since Pinot has no issue with his legs, the issue is clear and its back, if the back is healed he will be up there with the best. Also Pinot finished runner up in the Dauphine just 8 months ago, Aru did not have comparable results two years after his Tour stage win.
 
It's not necessarily the team but I know nothing about their dynamic. His issue may be the syndromic back issue that can afflict any rider that has a position that sets it off. These guys aren't downhill ski racers or gymnasts that balance their bodies to impact and strain; they're praying mantises on bikes using as little upper body effort as possible. The problem is, once your back has an issue near the sacrum and hinge point of power.... you are fu*ked until you sit down and rebuild. That will include new positioning and conditioning. It's doubtful Pinot has taken the time and patience to do that. He may have both financial and personal (his own mindset) pressures to not give himself the necessary time. If he doesn't; his career is done.
Which is why he should have left that team ages ago.

He's been having issue after issue for years, both mental and physical. And how has the team helped him? It's funny to see a lunatic rage him on from the side of the road or hanging out the car window, but i have my doubts regarding the scientific/medical approach the team has towards physical en mental wellbeing of their riders.
 
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No it's not the same since Pinot has no issue with his legs, the issue is clear and its back, if the back is healed he will be up there with the best. Also Pinot finished runner up in the Dauphine just 8 months ago, Aru did not have comparable results two years after his Tour stage win.
I am sorry but Pinot's problem is not only his back.
 
Which is why he should have left that team ages ago.

He's been having issue after issue for years, both mental and physical. And how has the team helped him? It's funny to see a lunatic rage him on from the side of the road or hanging out the car window, but i have my doubts regarding the scientific/medical approach the team has towards physical en mental wellbeing of their riders.

He clearly feels at home at FDJ, otherwise I suspect he would have left the team ages ago.
As for a more scientific approach; sure... for stuff like the current issue they should have maybe seen external specialists earlier, but for other things like his leg injury two years ago, or his illness three years ago, I haven't seen any indicators that they didn't use a scientific approach. And the mental stuff? Well... I'm not sure it's a super-scientific approach to stick a guy with a fear of descending/speed into a rally car to get him used to it, but... hey; it worked! He was obviously also very down after being forced to leave the Tour two years ago, but in a situation like that, I'm not even sure a scientific approach is the right way to go. Sometimes, a person just needs a hug.
 
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He clearly feels at home at FDJ, otherwise I suspect he would have left the team ages ago.
As for a more scientific approach; sure... for stuff like the current issue they should have maybe seen external specialists earlier, but for other things like his leg injury two years ago, or his illness three years ago, I haven't seen any indicators that they didn't use a scientific approach. And the mental stuff? Well... I'm not sure it's a super-scientific approach to stick a guy with a fear of descending/speed into a rally car to get him used to it, but... hey; it worked! He was obviously also very down after being forced to leave the Tour two years ago, but in a situation like that, I'm not even sure a scientific approach is the right way to go. Sometimes, a person just needs a hug.

True. Sometimes we all just need a hug. However, he's got his goats and his girlfriend for that. I think as a cyclist I would feel better with a team that's obviously at the top of the game, scientifically, and be ready to skip some of the emotional comfort stuff from their side. But of course it's his decision, not mine, and maybe the team is even better than we think.
I also think that in order to be working at your best you need to be in an environment where you can trust people. In an ideal scenario that means personally and with what they are doing. I hope for him that's the case at FdJ, and that he's right in trusting them.
 
He clearly feels at home at FDJ, otherwise I suspect he would have left the team ages ago.
As for a more scientific approach; sure... for stuff like the current issue they should have maybe seen external specialists earlier, but for other things like his leg injury two years ago, or his illness three years ago, I haven't seen any indicators that they didn't use a scientific approach. And the mental stuff? Well... I'm not sure it's a super-scientific approach to stick a guy with a fear of descending/speed into a rally car to get him used to it, but... hey; it worked! He was obviously also very down after being forced to leave the Tour two years ago, but in a situation like that, I'm not even sure a scientific approach is the right way to go. Sometimes, a person just needs a hug.
Why would they need to be mutually exclusive?

When a professional athlete, a worldclass talent, has a history of mental issues and physical issues, you do whatever it takes on all accounts. But when it seems to be a neverending stream of "bad luck" at some point i tend to get skeptical.
 
Why would they need to be mutually exclusive?

When a professional athlete, a worldclass talent, has a history of mental issues and physical issues, you do whatever it takes on all accounts. But when it seems to be a neverending stream of "bad luck" at some point i tend to get skeptical.

But could he ever feel as much at home on another team as he clearly feels on FDJ? Just look at his comments when he extended his contract last year:

Groupama-FDJ extend contracts with their biggest stars, including Thibaut Pinot - Cycling Weekly

The 30-year-old said: “Leaving, when I arrive in my best years would have left me with a taste of unfinished business. I haven’t finished writing my story with this team. I’m firmly convinced that we’re still going to build great things and win the best races. The Tour de France is obviously still the ultimate goal for which I want to devote myself 100 per cent.

FDJ does seem like a team where people just... stay.
 
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But could he ever feel as much at home on another team as he clearly feels on FDJ? Just look at his comments when he extended his contract last year:

Groupama-FDJ extend contracts with their biggest stars, including Thibaut Pinot - Cycling Weekly

FDJ does seem like a team where people just... stay.
Not sure what your point is here. I'm convinced he WANTS to stay, because otherwise he would have left sometime in the last 10 years, surely? I'm not debating whether he "feels at home" or "feels good" at FDJ. I'm sure he does. And if he wants to write a story there, by all means. I just think it won't be the story that he wants it to be. So again, if he wants to write a story, other than that of a cycling martyr, he should have left that team ages ago.
 
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Not sure what your point is here. I'm convinced he WANTS to stay, because otherwise he would have left sometime in the last 10 years, surely? I'm not debating whether he "feels at home" or "feels good" at FDJ. I'm sure he does. And if he wants to write a story there, by all means. I just think it won't be the story that he wants it to be. So again, if he wants to write a story, other than that of a cycling martyr, he should have left that team ages ago.

There's no guarantee that his palmares would have been any better if he had left, and even if there was, is that really worth sacrificing a sense of feeling at home for? Of course, when he made that comment last year, he probably wasn't expecting to break his back, and see any chances at competing at the Tour slip past his fingers again.
He's got a good story, even if he never wins the Tour, and that does seem more and more likely... but damn! Another top-result in Lombardia, that would be sweet.
 
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There's no guarantee that his palmares would have been any better if he had left, and even if there was, is that really worth sacrificing a sense of feeling at home for? Of course, when he made that comment last year, he probably wasn't expecting to break his back, and see any chances at competing at the Tour slip past his fingers again.
He's got a good story, even if he never wins the Tour, and that does seem more and more likely... but damn! Another top-result in Lombardia, that would be sweet.
Then maybe he just chose the wrong profession.
 
Then maybe he just chose the wrong profession.

If he didn't love what he's doing - despite all the setbacks - I suspect he would've quit a long time ago. He did talk about quitting after the Tour two years ago, but luckily Madiot put an end to that nonsense!

A Monument.
Stage wins, and top-10s (including one podium-spot) in all three GTs.
Stage wins, and top-10s (including podiums) in other WT stage races.
Bunch of other victories.

That's not a bad palmares!
 
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Not sure what your point is here. I'm convinced he WANTS to stay, because otherwise he would have left sometime in the last 10 years, surely? I'm not debating whether he "feels at home" or "feels good" at FDJ. I'm sure he does. And if he wants to write a story there, by all means. I just think it won't be the story that he wants it to be. So again, if he wants to write a story, other than that of a cycling martyr, he should have left that team ages ago.
Considering what's happened to Pinot already, I think a change with a new DS who maybe had different ideas to his current one was worth a shot. But some riders just get settled at one team and stay put. No one knows if he would have been more successful and now he has back issues it seems. 7 DNFs out of 14 grand tours is pretty miserable. One podium plus four top 10 finishes. Bardet has had one DNF from 10 grand tour starts including two podiums and five top 10 finishes.
 
Any news if his problems are sorted out? It looks more and more young guns are rushing by him in to the top ranks these days, is he soon sitting on the fence only?

I'll admit, I've been wondering about that too. But I suppose right now, no news is good news. Probably too soon for the problems to be sorted completely, and even if they think they might be nearing a solution to the problems, they might not want to announce anything just yet, after all; they obviously thought the problems would be sorted by the time of the Giro...
However, I wouldn't be too surprised if we don't see him racing again until late July/early August.
 

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