Before the Criterium de Dauphine there were question marks concerning just where Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) was situated in the scheme of Grand Tour contenders. The past few years had seen him concentrate on what appears to be his favourite of the three national races, the Giro d'Italia, but retiring from last year's edition when still in the running for a podium place behind Chris Froome (Tea left a considerable dent.
Pinot bounced back to take a convincing win at the Tour de Lombardy but just when the French public might have thought that his love affair with all things Italian was a done deal, the FDJ leader produced a remarkable performance on a day marked not just by it's intensity but also the climatic conditions on stage 2 of the Criterium du Dauphine.
Only the strongest were going to survive and by the end of the stage everyone was left in no doubt that Pinot was one of, if not, the strongest rider of the day.
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In terms of the standing on the podium at this Dauphine, he certainly placed himself amongst the favourites, but the aggression he displayed in the final 20km will also serve as a reminder to his home supporters of the young rider who exploded onto the world scene in 2014 when he took a spectacular stage win at the Tour and the young rider classification.
Taking the time to warm down properly after what was the opening salvo in the battle for the podium places of the Dauphine, he answered some questions in what appeared to be an entirely satisfied mood.
"It was truly a nice day to race, the kind of day I like. It never slowed all day so everybody was tired at the end, the weather conditions were what I like, too, so I felt good," he told the gathering press and myself at the finish.
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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/yorks-dauphine-analysis-pinot-provokes-and-passes-first-test
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