Thibaut Pinot will try to make amends for a disappointing performance in this year's Tour de France when he lines up at the next edition of La Grande Boucle. The Frenchman is currently training on the cobbles in Northern France with the FDJ classics roster and has done time trial testing on the Roubaix velodrome.

Thibaut Pinot was climbing excellently near the front of the group of favourites when Sky blow the peloton to pieces on the first serious climb of this year's Tour de France, the Port de Pailheres. Having prepared his second Tour meticulously, the Frenchman seemed to be in a perfect position to improve on his impressive 10th place in his race debut one year earlier.

Moments later, it all came to nothing when Peter Kennaugh led the peloton down the descent in pursuit of Nairo Quintana (Movistar). Due to fear of high speeds, the Frenchman lost contact with the favourites and never recovered from the incident. On that day he lost 6 minutes to stage winner Chris Froome (Sky) and was left depressed, all his ambitions having been crushed in a matter of seconds. He ended up abandoning the race one week later, citing a sore throat.

He bounced back with a solid showing in the Vuelta a Espana where he finished 7th, and proved that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the grand tours. With increased confidence, he is now aiming to show his home crowd that he is back to his best.

To do this, he needs, however, to overcome the cobbles that will play a crucial role on the 5th stage of the French grand tour. Pinot is not only known for his poor descending, he is also famed for his distaste for the battle for position. With positioning being paramount on the paves, Pinot knows that he needs to be well-prepared for the battle in Northern France.

Hence, the Frenchman has taken the opportunity to join the classics specialists on his FDJ team on a small training camp that has allowed him to become familiar with the rough surface. At the same time, he has taken the opportunity to work on another weakness, the time trial, as he has done some testing on the famous Roubaix velodrome.

Pinot ended his season with a strong showing in Il Lombardia where he finished 12th.