2023-06-12 18:00:00
He’s almost there. The Dauphiné allows each year to smell the perfume of the Tour de France and this year, it had this smell of iodine coming straight from Denmark. Jonas Vingegaard has surfed on his own wave, the one that never ends and that he hopes not to see die between the Basque Country and Paris in July. On the side of Groupama-FDJ, the chemistry did not take in this small alpine loop, David Gaudu showing himself far from the candidate for the podium that he is. Average on the scene, the team of Marc Madiot works behind the scenes to settle another question, thorny this one: should we take Thibaut Pinot on the Tour de France?
Sunday on RMC, Marc Madiot was once again launched on a question which agitates, more than many others, the world of French cycling. “Today, it is impossible for me to answer your question.did he declare. We must enter into a time of reflection with the whole team, weigh and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the presence of this or that rider within the team.. ” The Groupama-FDJ manitou does not enter into a period of reflection. He has already been there, a little since the start of the season and a lot since Thibaut Pinot finished in 5th place in the Giro, with the jersey of the bonus mountain.
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power struggle
But the latter knows it, his good Tour of Italy does not guarantee him anything. Quite simply because there are other issues inherent in its presence. “What will decide will be pragmatism and the search for total efficiency to obtain the best result.Madiot continued for RMC. I make a comparison with football: we see that in clubs where some players are above the team, it never works. The team will be above the runners.”
In the hollow of this story, a power struggle is undoubtedly being played out within the French house. On the one hand, David Gaudu who, half-word, wished that his illustrious elder would not be part of it. For what ? Because in 2022, the fourth in the Tour de France had a team at his service, or almost. Seven team members minus one in reality, Pinot having played the solitary rider. Did the Breton like to see his teammate often in front and rarely by his side? Not sure. On the other, Thibaut Pinot, but also Arnaud Démare, who both hope to have their card on the Grande Boucle.
Gaudu, the present and the future
If Pinot were to be chosen, would he spend most of his time working for his leader? Is that how he would want to leave the stage? Gaudu may doubt it and the team with it. At the level he was at on the Giro, and if he recovered well (which is not obvious), Pinot is one of the best climbers on this team, perhaps second only to Gaudu. Wouldn’t he be a great support to aim for the podium?
Gaudu, distanced Thursday: “We have more or less found the reason, we will necessarily keep it for ourselves”
And more broadly, can a French team do without the French rider most loved by the public on the side of the roads? To have Pinot is, for the sponsors, the insurance of a sacred publicity. And in a way, however impressive a Gaudu’s performance on the podium or close to it, a stage victory for a Pinot would have even greater repercussions in the eyes of the general public. This one and Arnaud Démare are also better cards for gaining a stage than the designated leader. Groupama-FDJ must therefore define its priorities.
And for this, she must get rid of feelings, warned Madiot. Pinot’s history with his team alone could justify having him on the Tour. Yes, but it’s not just that that is at stake and if in the short term, the idea seems obvious, is it over the longer term? At the end of 2023, Pinot will no longer be in the team and it is rumored that Arnaud Démare could look elsewhere (Arkéa-Samsic?). David Gaudu is the present and the future of Groupama-FDJ. Does he play this card in this plot? Maybe. Whatever happens, Marc Madiot’s decision will make people talk. And the good thing is that it should fall quickly, “Monday evening or Tuesday“, he promised.
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