The Frenchman has not raced since his retirement in the Vuelta (Illustration) -
Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
"I'm happy to make my comeback here and to hand out a bib."
After four months without racing, Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) will make his comeback from Friday to Sunday in the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var.
A race in which he won the 2019 edition, but in which he participates this time "without personal ambition".
“I'm not going there to play my card, I'm here to help the group.
My preparation was not ideal with this cold winter, I need to ride and rack up the miles, ”said the Franc-Comtois, who in 2021 chose to favor the Giro.
He will not participate in the Tour de France this year after his fall at the start of the 2020 edition which caused him much suffering.
The Frenchman has not raced since his retirement in the Vuelta after the second stage on October 21.
"He could not train in the best conditions"
"It's a recovery without personal sporting ambition because he was not able to train in the best conditions with in particular this year the omnipresent snow in Franche-Comté", confirmed its sporting director Thierry Bricaud.
Departing from Biot (Alpes-Maritimes), Pinot will team up with David Gaudu, who will take on responsibilities from Paris-Nice next month, then at the Tour de France, Valentin Madouas and Rudy Molard.
“It's a tough race but one that I like a lot.
I have good feelings after the courses ”, commented David Gaudu.
The Breton announces that he is aiming for a stage victory, in particular the one arriving on Saturday in Fayence (Var).
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