Frenchman, Thibaut Pinot has expressed his sincere enthusiasm about the mountainy, 65-kilometers stage at the next season’s Tour de France. According to him, is a ‘beautiful route and well designed’.
Apparently, Pinot is equally enthusiast as his fellow countryman Romain Bardet whose reaction about the Palais des Congres route indicated that it’s has is quite challenging as well.
The Frenchman was mostly enthusiastic about the fact that the short mountain leg during stage 17, will bring the Peloton over three mountain passes in just 65 kilometers; the Col de Val Louron-Azet, Col de Peyresourde, and Col de Portet.
At the launch of 2018 @letour route today. ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL. Some of the toughest stages I’ve ever seen. Sure not many sprinters in Paris. pic.twitter.com/1fpiag33Py
— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) October 17, 2017
Even though Pinot is considered to be a better time trialist than his fellow, he will most likely be less preoccupied on that day in the Basque Country and is more focused into putting his prospects of emerging unscathed from the demanding opening week in northern France.
Showcase his real potential
“I like this Tour, it’s a Tour that’s good for me,” Pinot said during an interview. “I hope I can finally show my real potential in the Tour.
“It’s a very beautiful route, well designed. The opening days will be complicated, with finishes for puncheurs and a stage on the pavé. It won’t be boring.”
“In 2014 in the rain, I was in the group that was fighting it out for, I think, fifth place, so that wasn’t bad at all. In 2015, it went badly because I had a mechanical problem, but that could happen to anybody. It’s a stage that could be dangerous but that’s true of all the stages really.”
“I think it’s a good thing. You often have big mountain stages where not a lot happens, but this is short and very hard. For us riders, and especially the climbers, we’re quite happy to have a stage like this, and it should be a spectacle for the fans too,” he said.
