Marc Madiot partly blames himself for the injury of Thibaut Pinot. The French climber had to give up the idea of starting in the Giro d’Italia this season because of his difficulties to regain his best level.
Pinot has been struggling with his health since his crash in the opening stage of the 2020 Tour de France. The 31-year-old rider still finished the Tour de France, but in retrospect that turned out not to be the right choice.
“Not afterwards, no. But on the first rest day, we couldn’t really determine what was going on. We saw bruises, but that was all. If we had been able to investigate further, we would have forced him to stop.”
“It is what it is,” he continues. “Let’s try to make a new start and build on the future with fresh courage. We’re in the process of getting Pinot back on track, but it’s a long process. We should never have let him get to this condition. I hope he can function normally in the coming weeks.”
“It is not yet certain that he will be fully fit again, but I do not doubt his ability to return. People have often said that Pinot isn’t the strongest mentally, but I’d like to take my hat off to him. He shows things I’ve never seen before.”
