Frenchman will ride Oman, Tirreno-Adriatico and Fleche Wallonne
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Thibaut Pinot shows off the 2015 FDJ jersey (Image credit: FDJ)
Italian Vincenzo Nibali was flanked by Frenchmen Jean-Christophe Peraud and Thibaut Pinot on the 2014 Tour de France podium.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The white jersey of Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) with the yellow jersey of Vincenzo Nibali (Astana)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) took over the young rider classification(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) will ride Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Romandie as part of his build-up to the 2015 Tour de France.
Pinot announced his programme on Twitter and will follow a similar programme to his 2014 calendar, which helped him peak for the Tour de France and finish third overall behind Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and fellow Frenchman Jean-Christophe Péraud (Ag2r-La Mondiale).
He will begin with the GP d’Ouverture La Marseillaise on February 1 and also squeeze in the four-day Etoile de Bessèges before heading out to the Tour of Oman. Pinot will enjoy a small break after Oman before he rides Tirreno-Adriatico in the second week of March. The Frenchman rode Tirreno-Adriatico in 2014 but was forced to abandon on stage four due to pain in his knee.
He will return to France for the inaugural Clasica Corsica, which takes place on March 26. The one-day race will take in many of the same climbs that featured on stage two of the 2013 Tour de France. That will be followed by the Critérium International and Vuelta al País Vasco. He will make a brief appearance at the Ardennes with Flèche Wallonne before the Tour de Romandie.
Pinot’s final Tour de France preparation is not yet decided, with two options on the table for the 24-year-old. He will either ride the Boucles de la Mayenne followed by the Tour de Suisse or the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Route du Sud.
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Born in Ireland to a cycling family and later moved to the Isle of Man, so there was no surprise when I got into the sport. Studied sports journalism at university before going on to do a Masters in sports broadcast. After university I spent three months interning at Eurosport, where I covered the Tour de France. In 2012 I started at Procycling Magazine, before becoming the deputy editor of Procycling Week. I then joined Cyclingnews, in December 2013.
