Thibaut Pinot made a surprise declaration from the Groupama-FDJ 2023 team presentation, telling L’Equipe that he intends to retire at the end of this season at the age of 33.
“It’s a decision that I’ve carefully considered over the years,” Pinot stated in a post by his team on social media.
“I’m excited by the new things I’m going to be able to discover after my career, but I’m just as excited to race during this final year.”
The charismatic Frenchman finished on the podium of the Tour de France in 2014 behind Vincenzo Nibali and Jean-Christophe Peraud and gave his country hope of regaining the top step of the Grand Tour. But illness and injury-plagued Pinot. He was third in the general classification of the Giro d’Italia in 2018 when he fell ill and was hospitalized with dehydration after abandoning.
In 2019, Pinot rose as high as fourth overall when an injury to his leg forced him into a tearful abandon in the Alps. Since then, he’s taken to stage-hunting and going off in breakaways, frequently animating the race and won the most aggressive rider prize on stage 9 of the Tour de France last season.
Fans can expect no difference in this final season, though. “I’ve rarely been as motivated at the start of a season and I want to end on a high,” he said. “I do everything and I’m going to continue to do everything to achieve the best results possible.”
More to follow…
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