Thibaut Pinot endured a difficult 2013 as he suffered with a phobia of descending and struggled in the role of FDJ.fr’s team leader, eventually leaving the Tour with illness after the summit finish on Mont Ventoux. It was a far cry from the previous edition, when he announced himself with a stage win and finished tenth overall. However, the 24-year-old is back, and determined to make up for lost time – and has been in good form too.
The Frenchman already has one young rider title to his name, from Bayern-Rundfahrt, while he has enjoyed top ten finishes at the Tour de Romandie and the Tour of the Basque Country on the WorldTour too. The FDJ.fr team is primarily built to support Arnaud Demare in the sprints, but if Pinot can recover his best form, the white jersey is certainly within his grasp.
