Aligned for the European Championships, Thibaut Pinot continues his gradual return to competition

Thibaut Pinot is never as comfortable as when he feels at home. This is why the Franc-Comtois decided to hit the road around his home. "

" said the French climber at the end of July after a radio silence counted in months. As an indication that he could sprain his region, evidenced by his return on the occasion of a Tour du Limousin where we will have seen him several times at the front. Before finding its public by hanging up a bib at the Classic Grand Besançon (5th), at the Tour du Jura (16th) then at the Tour du Doubs (13th).

Passages always charged with emotion for one of the favorite riders of the French public, who capsized his family when he passed home to Mélisey during the final time trial of the Tour de France 2020. Sufficient to find sensations for the highest level?

Thomas Voeckler did not ask himself too many questions when it came to electing the riders who will compete in the road race for the European Championships this Sunday.

Pinot will be part of the tricolor selection which will take part in the circuit around Piazza Duomo in Trento (North-East of Italy).

A look at the Tour of Lombardy

The darling of French cycling was chosen alongside his teammate at Groupama-FDJ Valentin Madouas, Romain Bardet (Team DSM), Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic), Pierre-Luc Périchon (Cofidis), the AG2R-Citroën Aurélien Paret- Painter and Benoît Cosnefroy as well as the last super-combative of the Tour Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels), replacing Guillaume Martin at short notice, exhausted after his 9th final place in the Vuelta. A resolutely offensive French team which will try to imitate the young Romain Grégoire, new continental champion among the Juniors (U19).

Alongside the young French guard, Pinot (31) should above all play a role of scout. A role of accompanist. Because at the end of this 179.2 km loop around Trento, fragmented between a first 73 km loop before a final circuit - presenting the only difficulty of climbing the Povo (3.6 km at 4.7%) - to complete eight times, the climber of Mélisey will have little chance of being part of the final package. If he admitted to feeling "

“, The unfortunate of the 2019 Tour will have to deal with exacerbated and fiery competition. Among the contenders for the succession of the Italian Giacomo Nizzolo, we find in particular the Belgian prodigy Remco Evenepoel, the triple world champion Peter Sagan, the Italian Sonny Colbrelli or the Portuguese Joao Almeida. On the French side, the best card to play may not lie in Romain Bardet, stage winner in the Vuelta, but rather with the Breton Benoît Cosnefroy, who has impressed in recent weeks with a success in the nose to the beard world champion Alaphilippe on the Bretagne Classic before doing it again on the Tour du Jura on Saturday.

If no one knows the real state of Pinot's form, his coach assures us that he is not just one more flashy name on the list: “

, confided Thomas Voeckler at the microphone of the Channel L'Equipe

However, a peak of form seems difficult to achieve for this prelude to the world championships which will take place next week in Belgium. And in a month? The Frenchman does not hide the fact that the final goal of his return to competition lies in Italy but not in Trento. Rather towards Lombardy and the last “Monument” of the season. Scheduled for October 9, the Tour of Lombardy will be an opportunity to rediscover the light for the 2018 winner of the event, a subscriber to local races since his return. And thus orchestrate a return to the foreground.