Paris (AFP)

No Tour for Thibaut Pinot: the Frenchman will abandon the yellow of the Grande Boucle this year for the pink of the Giro, which he will run in May under the colors of the Groupama-FDJ team.

"A carefully considered decision".

The Franc-Comtois, unhappy these last two years in the Tour, will leave most of the responsibilities to the champion of France Arnaud Démare, turned towards the sprints.

"This year, the Giro will be my major objective. I will do everything to be 100% on the Giro and achieve the best possible result", declared the Frenchman on the occasion of the virtual presentation of Marc Madiot's team. , one of the three French teams present in the first world division (WorldTour).

"I saw that it was not the right course for me this year on the Tour. I will come back, I hope, as early as 2022", added Pinot, who, at 30, prefers to ignore the criticisms: "I take it in the face but I decided not to defend myself in the face of all this. When I hear that I am fleeing the media pressure, it's completely false. We speak for me, it's pain lost to defend herself. "

Since his debut in the Tour in 2012, Pinot has only failed once at the start, in 2018, when he was recovering from pneumonia contracted the previous month.

In Brest, on June 26, Groupama-FDJ will bet on Démare, absent for the past two years when the group was focused exclusively on Pinot.

With mixed success since the Franc-Comtois, one of the big players in the 2019 edition until his abandonment two days before the finish, had endured a thousand sufferings last summer after a fall from the first stage.

- "I lived it badly" -

Between the French climber, one of the best in the world, and the Tour de France, history is made up of (very) highs and (very) lows.

Masterful stage successes in Alpe d'Huez and Tourmalet, since the revelation in 2012 when Pinot had won from his first participation.

Withdrawals also since the Frenchman gave up four times along the way during his eight participations.

"When you're at the top, it's the dream, the most beautiful race in the world. But, when you live it like me last year, it's the worst race. I lived it badly", admitted this natural, endearing, popular runner.

In July, his team will therefore play on another register.

With Arnaud Démare, the French champion who piled up the victories last year (fourteen between August and October!), She will aim for stage success in the plain.

With David Gaudu, winner of two stages of the Vuelta in October, she will also be present in the mountains.

"I will try to concentrate on the general classification but without taking the lead, we will see where it will lead us", announced Gaudu (24), who must have gained confidence after his success in the Vuelta.

The sharing of responsibilities with Démare will be tested from March in Paris-Nice.

"On the flat stages, with edge risks, I will try to hang on to Arnaud's group", noted Gaudu.

"Afterwards, in the mountains, it will be done on the pedal".

With a record of 21 victories in 2020, the French team ranked ninth in the world in the points classification (and fourth in the ranking of the number of victories).

Madiot, who sees his group competitive on all terrains with the Swiss Stefan Küng also focused on the Olympic time trial, has set the bar even higher: "around thirty victories."

© 2021 AFP