The French rider will end his professional racing career on Saturday, after the Tour of Lombardy, the Monument that he added to his list of achievements in 2018.
By his own admission, Thibaut Pinot does not like being the center of attention. But at the time of hanging up his last bib, on the Tour of Lombardy 2023, and even if Tadej Pogacar and other big names take the start, French cycling will only have eyes for him on Saturday October 7 . Whatever happens on the Lombardy roads between Como and Bergamo, this date will go down in history.
Not only because the Tour of Lombardy is one of the five Cycling Monuments, but because it is Thibaut Pinot’s last day of racing. What the 33-year-old climber from Franche-Comté was still struggling to achieve on Friday, during a press point at the Groupama-FDJ hotel, near Como. Diminished in recent weeks, the Frenchman was visibly eager to get it over with, not without thrilling the public one last time.
You will take your last departure tomorrow. What state of mind are you in?
Thibaut Pinot: To say that it’s okay would be a lie. I have more stress than usual. It’s a special event, it’s hard to find pleasure. I can’t wait for the race to begin to let go of all this. These last few weeks have not been easy. I would have preferred to be able to play a role on this Lombardy. I like these passes, this route suits me well. It’s always frustrating in a great race like this not to weigh in. Afterwards, you never know, on a very good day, even without being on top, I can still be there. Since my fall in Poitou, I have accumulated health problems. I’m missing about ten days [de récupération] to be good.
Are you afraid of not finishing your last race?
I think about it, yes, because these Italian races are not forgiving. Of the five Monuments, the Lombardy is the hardest to finish. If you give up on the penultimate climb, it’s okay. If you let go at the exit of San Pellegrino, there are 90 terminals left and you know it’s dead. On a day without, there’s this fear. I try not to think about it too much. The passes are hard. The descents are technical and dangerous.
Everyone is talking about your retirement at the end of this day, but what is your goal?
I am still aiming to finish my season correctly, to do my race in the best way possible. I still want to achieve a result. Everyone tells me to have fun, but the fun is there when you fight with the best, so that’s where I’m going to get it.
Do you realize what is happening?
I do not realize really let it end on Saturday. Many say that we realize when we don’t resume after the October holidays. When I see the rain, the fog and I don’t need to put on the shorts again, then I’ll really realize it. I receive a lot of messages. We’ll see from Sunday to respond to everyone. I stay focused on my race. With all the people there will be, all the enthusiasm… When you are a high-level athlete, you just want to influence the race, to achieve a result, to thrill people. We will see when we wake up and the sensations at the start. At the signature, after 200 meters, I feel if it’s okay or not.
What do you hope the public takes away from Thibaut Pinot?
Let us remember the runner that I was, my victories and my defeats, my faults and my qualities.
What are you going to do next, starting Monday?
The first thing will be to go around my animals. I’ve been gone ten days, but it feels like a month. This is the longest week of my life…I don’t like being the center of attention and here I am. The more the years go by, the less comfortable I feel about it all. This is also why it ends. If I lock myself in my farm, people will quickly forget me. I don’t want to forget those I’ve been around for 15 years, so I’ll go see them as soon as I can. But life goes on.