Thibaut Pinot saved his Tour de France with his stage win at the top of Alpe d'Huez. But the FDJ rider would like to be competitive in this three-week race in order to finish on the podium or win the overall classification. His main goal during the next years is to be competitive. Interviewed by L'Equipe, the Frenchman explained his vision for his future.

"If I continue targeting stages in the years to come, it’d be the easy option. But my career has been shaped: I’m a team leader for the general classification at the Tour. My goal has to be to avoid losing 15 or 20 minutes so I then switch to going for stage victories. My goal is to get back on the podium and try to get on the top step in the years to come. When you don’t have the pressure of the general classification for three weeks, it changes everything. This time it was easier than last year. Targeting the podium for three weeks is something else", he added.

Now, the FDJ staff would like to reinforce the squad in order to lose less time during the perilous stages. "We suffered quite a few blows this year", directeur sportif Yvon Madiot explained. "Now in all the major teams the Classics riders play an important role. Team Sky has Stannard, Thomas and Porte; Tinkoff-Saxo has Tosatto, Sagan and Bennati. These guys are 1.80m tall and weigh 80kg, they’re not babies. We’re physically lightweights in comparison. You can lose the Tour anywhere but now you can win it in the first week."