The Groupama-FDJ climber was very climbed to the finish in the Swiss resort where he was overtaken by the rider of the Movistar team whom he had dropped several times in the final climb.

But the Colombian hung on before being the most roublard in the final to win with six seconds ahead of Pinot and 1 min 35 sec on the main favorites who neutralized themselves in this 13th stage long of only 74 km.

The organizers had decided to plane the course by removing the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard because of bad weather and the general state of disrepair of the peloton, undermined by Covid and diseases.

"It's a big, big disappointment. I don't calculate my efforts and that's all they did. It is often the winner who is right but I am disappointed, it was a great opportunity, "commented Pinot who especially resented the third thief of the breakaway, the Ecuadorian Jefferson Cepeda (EF Education) whom he accuses of not having taken "a single relay".

Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), leading the breakaway ahead of Ecuador's Jefferson Cepeda on the ascent to Crans-Montana, May 19, 2023 © Luca Bettini / AFP

I would have put my guts in"

"I don't understand how you can hope to win in this way. I didn't want Cepeda to win, I would have put my guts not to let him go," lamented Pinot, who took the blue jersey of best climber and entered the Top 10, in tenth place, 3:13 behind the pink jersey Geraint Thomas.

But it is little consolation for the 32-year-old Frenchman who dreams of winning a second stage in the Giro, after the one in 2017 in Asiago, before retiring at the end of the year.

Instead, he finished second for the fourth time this season. He hasn't raised his arms since his Tour de Suisse stage win in June 2022.

The Franc-Comtois was nevertheless the great animator of the day. But he wasted a lot of strength arguing non-stop with Cepeda. The two men did not stop attacking each other and then shouting at each other, while behind Rubio remained focused on his effort, without flinching.

"If I don't ride we are standing still, I hope they will thank me at least for having been able to play for the victory," fumed Pinot, very agitated during the stage and who also resented the rest of the group with whom he had escaped at the foot of the Croix-de-Coeur, a few minutes after the start.

"Let me enjoy"

"I knew I had to force fate in the first pass," he said. I've been gnawing on the brake for 15 days. I was sick, now I have my legs. With Bruno (Armirail, his teammate) I said: +let's go, let's go+. I lose the general it doesn't matter. Eighth, seventh, I don't care. I wanted the stage."

To his sports directors, "in the headset I said: +leave me alone, I'm doing my own thing. Maybe I do anything, but let me enjoy," he added.

But it was ultimately Rubio who benefited the most by pocketing the greatest success of his career.

"It's a great day for me. Pinot and Cepeda were very strong, I knew I had to keep them in my sights. I can't realize I won," said the 25-year-old Colombian.

Sick last week, Pinot can console him to find the form at the right time, before a third week particularly mountainous.

"She scares everybody. That's why it stayed calm today and on top of that there was headwind on the last climb," commented Geraint Thomas, delighted to have spent a relatively quiet day in pink.

© 2023 AFP