Istres (AFP)
Decreased the previous day, Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) explained that he was "more confident" at the start of the queen stage of the Tour de La Provence and his arrival on the slopes of Mont Ventoux on Saturday in Istres.
"It's going a little better, I'm a little more confident than yesterday morning. We will see ... There is a very high level this year: you have to be 100% to play", poured out the French climber touched by a "stomach ache" on Friday.
"It's a little thing that has not gone by - nothing serious - but that does not allow you to be 100%," defused Pinot.
"Now, even in February you have to be 100% to play a stage victory."
Thibaut Pinot, "in a hurry to fight with the best on Ventoux", is 7th in the general classification, 34 seconds behind the Russian leader Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana), but at the same time as the other favorites of the event , at the start of the 3rd stage towards Mont Ventoux.
The arrival at Chalet Reynard truncates the legendary ascent of 6 kilometers, but there is still a hearty chunk of it with 14.6 km of climb at 7.6% on average in the lunar landscape of the bald mountain.
A rare test gallop as early in the season, which should almost crown the winner of this 5th edition of the Tour de La Provence.
© 2020 AFP