"I got stuck for almost 30 seconds and I especially had the motorcycles almost falling on me" - Thibaut Pinot outraged by Col de la Loze chaos
Cycling
A lot has happened on stage 17 of the Tour de France. Amidst Tadej Pogacar's crack, Jonas Vingegaard being blocked by a car, Felix Gall surging to victory on an insanely strong breakaway group where both Pello Bilbao and David Gaudu had clashes with spectators, surged another story. Thibaut Pinot was very upset with the situation that unfolded on the final climb and feared for his safety.
"It happened as it happened. We were aiming for the stage victory, but I think we're a bit short of that," Pinot said in a post-race interview. He had made the day's big breakaway group together with David Gaudu and Valentin Madouas, all three managed to avoid serious work and made the final ascent in contention for the stage win. "It was a crazy stage, it was really tough. It was one of the toughest stages in my career, she's not far from the top 5 that one."
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Pinot rode to 11th place on the stage however that included a very difficult moment. On the same location where Jonas Vingegaard was blocked on the Col de la Loze, so was Pinot. Fan footage shows the Frenchman also having to put his foot down and lose time in a crucial moment of the climb, near the summit and with very steep ramps.
"What shocked me the most today was the race stopped because of the motorcycles and the car. A motorcycle could have fallen on me, it's shameful," he commented. "I got stuck for almost 30 seconds and I especially had the motorcycles almost falling on me. And then we let the cars pass when there are only 15 seconds between the groups... there are things that I don't understand."
Ultimately the team did not bring the benefit from the day, David Gaudu rode a strong stage into fifth place but because so many GC contenders made it into the breakaway he actually descended from 9th to 10th in the overall classification. "Now, we're going to try to perk up for the next two days, even if it's going to go fast, and to give everything on Saturday," Pinot concluded.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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💥Caos en la subida al 🏔️Col de la Loze! 😞🇨🇵Thibaut Pinot (Groupama FDJ) es bloqueado por un auto de los organizadores del Tour de Francia #TDF2023 #ciclismo #noticiclismo
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