Tour 2015: Thibaut Pinot | FDJ

FACT FILE

Age: 25
Height: 1.80m
Weight: 63kg
WorldTour ranking: 13
Wins in 2015: 2
Career wins: 11
Days racing in 2015: 44
Best Tour GC finish:
Third (2014)
KM raced in 2015: 6,062
Form rating: ++++

Thibaut Pinot has stayed out of the limelight for much of this year. What we have seen, though, has been promising. The young Frenchman has put in good showings at Tirreno-Adriatico (where he finished fourth, ahead of Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali), the Tour of the Basque Country (10th), and the Tour of Romandy, where an excellent win on the penultimate stage saw him claim fourth place overall, and the Tour de Suisse.

His Tour performances so far are promising too, finishing 10th on his debut in 2012 followed by a spot on the podium last year. Pinot’s first shot at La Grand Boucle showcased some serious talent when he stayed with Chris Froome as the Sky rider moved away from Bradley Wiggins on La Toussuire. Pinot then outsprinted Froome to take second place on the stage.

It may still be too early to tout Pinot as a likely winner — he is yet to really prove himself in a time trial, and question marks remain over his descending ability. His country has been crying out for its first winner since the glory days of Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon. It may have to wait a bit longer for Pinot, but the 25-year-old is not too far off.

Key support
FDJ continues to develop homegrown talent. Aside from Pinot, Arnaud Démare knows his way around a sprint, Jérémy Roy is an able captain, and Arthur Vichot stood up well at Paris-Nice. But it is a foreigner who may be of most interest to Pinot this year: the experienced Swiss Steve Morabito. The 32-year old was an able lieutenant to Cadel Evans during their five shared years at BMC, and will be expected to provide Pinot with similar support.