Pinot enjoys first test on familiar roads

Born and raised in the shadow of La Planche des Belles Filles, Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat) has tackled the climb hundreds of times in training over the years, but never with the same kind of intensity as during stage 7 of the Tour de France.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.