Damn dust in the eye. Marc Madiot spent his day with misty eyes. At the start, in Belfort, where emotion overwhelmed him when talking about the last pedal strokes of Thibaut Pinot on the Tour de France. During the stage, in the Petit Ballon, where he stopped to greet the corner dedicated to his rider. Still later, at the Markstein, overtaken by sobs in front of the microphones. Caught up in the Platzerwasel, 12 kilometers from the line, the rider from Melisey will never win a fourth stage victory on the Grande Boucle. The important thing was elsewhere. A few hours before its sixth arrival on the Champs-Elysées, Pinot ignited the French public one last time, with panache and personality. At the end, a seventh place, the price of fighting spirit, but above all a big dose of emotions. It was Saint-Thibaut. It was beautiful.
When the bend starts to sing
Leaving with Valentin Madouas, the Franc-Comtois joined the breakaway thanks to a well-rehearsed team strategy since the duo fell on Stefan Küng, who was able to lend a hand to bring his two teammates back to the front. The French champion has long accompanied the hero of the day. Until Pinot let go of the horses, 31 kilometers from the finish. In a molten Little Balloon that only had eyes for him, he split the crowd amid the flags, jerseys, scarves and placards that were almost unanimously dedicated to him.
2 terminals from the summit, the bend specially set up in his honor looked like an open-air stadium, where one could read “Thank you Pinot”, “You’re great”, “You’re beautiful Pinot” or even “Pinot, retirement is 64 years old”. A huge display of affection that gave everyone the chills. “It was great to live, explained the interested party on arrival. I took pleasure, it was only happiness. We saw today that I had the most beautiful audience in France! I leave a trace in the hearts of people, of my supporters, and it’s almost more beautiful than a victory. »
Open heart
Despite the public support, Pinot could not hang Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Felix Gall and the Yates brothers in the Platzerwasel. On the other hand, he held the wheel of Pello Bilbao to finish 33 seconds from the win, in seventh position. His efforts were rewarded with the combativeness prize, which he received under the cheers of the spectators massed at the foot of the formal podium. “I didn’t think it would have such an effect on me to be here, I feel like it’s a page in my story that ends tonight. It’s stronger than I thought, ”he says. His boss Marc Madiot was on the same wavelength. “I owe him some white hair, but I don’t regret it at all,” jokes the Mayenne.
“We have often said that he was a fragile runner, who had no mind. I hope everyone will remember that he had a temper in certain circumstances, especially today. When you look at his track record, these few lines on a page of paper, they all have a real meaning and a story. I believe he is an authentic runner. He shows what he is, sometimes I blamed him. But in fact, this is what created its strength and popularity. Thibaut never pretends. »
“I wish all my colleagues to know Thibaut Pinot”
The boss’s declaration of love is in the sporting field, but above all in the human domain. “I had the chance to meet great riders who are also great people, continues Madiot, with whom Pinot will have spent his entire career. When you’re in the race, you focus on sporting performance. When you get to the end of the road, you remember who the man behind the champion is. I wish all my colleagues to know Thibaut Pinot. »
Fifth in the Giro in May, Pinot will end his final Tour de France on Sunday with the feeling of accomplishment, although he has not yet managed to clinch his 34th victory in the professional peloton. “There will be a big beer tonight,” he concludes with a smile, promising that his story with the Tour was not completely over. “I will come back, he slipped, but I will be around the bend. France too.