It is not a virus that we must be wary of at Groupama-FDJ but a black cat. And a clever one: this symbol of bad luck had to be confined all year round in a corner of the bus to come out at the time of the Tour de France. A bad habit. Thibaut Pinot left the Tour de France 2019 in tears after his retirement two days from the finish for a mysterious muscle injury to the left thigh. This time, from the first stage, Pinot put on the polka dot jersey again.
Three kilometers from the finish of a nervous and wet first stage, the best Frenchman on the Tour found himself on the ground as the sprinters launched the final packaging for the finish. Pinot did not commit any fault in positioning but a brake application sent about twenty riders on the oily asphalt of the Promenade des Anglais. Scuffed on the right side, right shoulder and thigh, he finishes the stage with a black gaze in a mixture of anger and rage. “It was one of the worst days of my career. One of the most stressful, he admits. We were driving on ice. People don't realize it on TV. "
He had made another film of his return to the Tour. Maybe not “Singing in the rain” but still not “Glisse de Nice”. Or “Pinot simple hic”. In his misfortune, the Franc-Comtois can at least say that he fell just after the banner of the last 3 kilometers, which allows him to be classified at the same time as the first in the event of a fall or a puncture.
"A fall like this is never a good sign for the future"
Pinot wasted no time and even less the Tour. But he left a little confidence on the Nice road. And also a little insurance. Which is a shame when you wear the colors of Groupama. Especially since this Sunday, the impressive descent of the Col du Turini, which requires skill and serenity, is on the menu.
In the French team, we would like to get rid of bad luck as we throw a bag in a refueling area. “Thibaut is annoyed and annoyed, recognizes his manager Marc Madiot. It has been on all day with the rain. Falling three miles from the finish is annoying. But now, it happened. According to him, Pinot's physical integrity is less affected than his pride and his morale. “We'll see but I don't think he has much damage. He made no mistake in the placement. At 3 terminals from the finish, it is the place of sprinters. It just needed a little luck. "
Valentin Madouas, his team-mate, is nonetheless pragmatic: “A fall like this is never a good sign for the future,” he admits. But I know he's going to get up. The Tour is only at the beginning. "