"I have the impression that every French person recognized themselves in him" - Daniel Mangeas shares his thoughts on Thibaut Pinot's career

In an interview with Cyclism'Actu, one of France's iconic commentators Daniel Mangeas shared his thoughts about the generation of cyclists retiring at the end of 2023, but mainly about the fan favourite Thibaut Pinot,

"The memory I have of Thibaut is his first stage victory in the Tour de France, in Porrentruy. When he won, I had Dietrich Thurau next to me, who had worn the yellow jersey on the roads of the Tour at the end of the 1970s, and he said to me: 'this one has gnac and temperament.' Thibaut had disobeyed Marc Madiot a little to win the stage, it's really a memorable memory of his career for me."

"There was a real heartfelt connection between him and the public, I have the impression that every French person recognized themselves in him. His sporting life is a real drama, notably with this 2019 Tour where we believed he was going to win it, before giving up the next day, injured. We went from a completely blue sky with immense sunshine to a total storm."

"Without saying that he was fleeing the crowd, Thibaut was not really looking for it. He is comfortable being with his goats in the countryside. I think we will see Thibaut less often than we saw Raymond." Mangeas refers to Raymond Poulidor who connected his whole life with cycing and especially the Tour de France. They are both popular champions, but they had a totally different outlook on popularity and audiences."