Thibaut Pinot went into the Tour de France with the modest goal of a top 10 finish but exceeded his own expectations by winning the white jersey and finishing third overall. The Frenchman, however, was always confident in his abilities in both the time trials and on the climbs.

Going into the Tour de France, Thibaut Pinot was tipped to win the white jersey by many pundits but few would have expected him to finish on the podium. Nonetheless, he rode into Paris today as the third placed rider and in the position as the best young rider.

Pinot admits that he hadn't expected to finish in the top 3.

"The objective was the top 10, we knew the white jersey would come along as well," he said. "It's the way I am, I love to attack, I love to have fun in the climbs. That's bike riding  the way I see it.

"I'm not surprised about my good result on the TT. All year I rode good time trials. There was no reason why I should miss out on the Tour de France.

"It's wonderful. Now I'm going to enjoy it all with my family and the team. It's the reward for everything I did since I started to ride. I'm a little bit in an awaken dream now."