2023-07-22 13:15:04
It’s a day of celebration in the Petit Ballon. For the penultimate day of the Tour de France, many supporters of Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) are already massed in a bend in the Vosges summit on Saturday morning. These members of the Collectif Ultras Pinot sing songs to the glory of their idol, for his last Big Loop and while this 20th stage takes place on his land… but also some invectives against the Jumbo-Visma formation. “For the Jumbo, a small beer! “, we could hear in the morning.
A response to the provocations of Richard Plugge, manager of the Dutch team. “We were with a French team (he does not mention it, but it is Groupama-FDJ) at our hotel during the rest day (Monday). We saw runners drinking large beers. Alcohol is poison,” he said Friday evening, triggering the ire of Marc Madiot, boss of Groupama-FDJ: “It’s shabby, pitiful, small, shameful. Keep his mouth shut! »
The diehards of Thibaut Pinot actually invested the Petit Ballon on Friday evening, in an operation supported by Parions Sport. Videos posted on social networks showed several supporters waving torches behind a banner, motivated by capo Arthur Vichot, a former runner and lieutenant of Pinot in the mountains within the FDJ.
The atmosphere promises to be boiling when the runners pass, scheduled shortly after 4 p.m. Especially since a few riders, like Lilian Calmejane (Intermarché), have shown their desire to “step in the wheel” of Pinot and then see him win.
The dream today is not to get a big result or win the stage, it’s to do the stage in the wheel of @ThibautPinot ???????????? #forzaTibo
— Lilian Calmejane (@L_Calmejane) July 22, 2023
For his last Tour de France, Thibaut Pinot never ceases to be surprised by a rather crazy popularity. And as Julian Alaphilippe, another darling of the Tour roads, summed it up very well on Friday, Thibaut “will be greatly missed”.
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